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jstephenclark.bsky.social
J. Stephen Clark 🏳️‍🌈
@jstephenclark.bsky.social
660 followers 740 following 280 posts
ALBA𝗡𝗬 LAW SCHOOL
Con Law | Conflicts | Employment
Ethiopian food | A.B. Durand art
Andrew’s partner | cat dad x2
𝘝𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯
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jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Shout out to our neighbors, the Berkshires!

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, oil on canvas, 1850, Detroit Institute of Arts, dia.org/collection/m...
January 11, 2026 at 11:00 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Ending the year on a proper note with a visit to our excellent local museum!

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘈𝘯 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯'𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, oil on canvas, 1845, Albany Institute of History and Art, www.albanyinstitute.org/collection/d...
From the Albany Institute: "This painting is one of Durand's most richly symbolic landscapes. Relying on the English poet Oliver Goldsmith's Deserted Village of 1770, which recounted the visit of an old man to the site of the town where he had spent his youth, Durand's painting functions as a cohesive picture of scenery, but more properly as a landscape of memory. What the old man sees reminds him of his own past. Childhood is represented by the schoolchildren, youth by the lovers seated beneath a tree, and adulthood by the man driving the hay cart." Me standing beside the painting on exhibit at the Albany Institute
January 2, 2026 at 9:17 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
The Times’s obvious embrace of anti-trans bigotry was the last straw for me.

No regrets about cancelling 25 years of subscribing.
January 2, 2026 at 6:19 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦, oil on canvas, ca. 1850, Delaware Art Museum, emuseum.delart.org/objects/2990...

#art #painting #zen
December 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Durand but different: a sketch from his European tour

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰 in 𝘚𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper, 1841, New-York Historical Society, emuseum.nyhistory.org/objects/2083...

#art #painting #zen
December 19, 2025 at 5:57 AM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Visiting Philadelphia, so highlighting this secret Durand that was last known to be here.

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 (𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦), oil on canvas, 1860, anonymous collection

#art #painting #zen
Rocky outcropping in the left foreground with two towering trees on the right and more atop the outcropping and in the distance.
December 12, 2025 at 7:45 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Special visit to the IMA to see my partner Andrew's hometown Durand!

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯, oil on canvas, 1847, Indianapolis Museum of Art, collections.discovernewfields.org/art/artwork/...

#art #painting #zen
A man and a boy follow a covered wagon pulled by three horses down a winding dirt trail next to a forest with trees towering in the left midground. On the right in the distant background is a Hudson-like river in front of mountains on the horizon. In the lower foreground are the usual Durand stones and brush. More from Durand expert David Lawall, 1977: While European scenes disappear from Durand’s later work, his love of America continued to express itself in paintings dealing with the American frontier. In 1839 he exhibited at the National Academy a painting entitled Landscape, Western Emigrants. This was followed in 1844 by an Emigrant Family and in 1847 by Landscape with Covered Wagon. Of these only the last has been located. This represents a covered wagon drawn by horses and followed by a man and a boy along a wilderness road. The two earlier paintings were probably of a similar character. All three paintings, we may assume, were fitted to withdraw the mind of the spectator from his own cares in the city. But also these might carry the mind into the past and the future. Nature itself bespeaks the past, but not merely the past of a particular historical epoch such as the Medieval period of European history suggested by the View of Oberweisal on the Rhine. Rather, the wilderness carries the mind back to the very beginning of the world. The imaginative painter or spectator, according to Durand, “reads the historic record which time has written on all things for our instruction, through all stages of their silent transition, since the period when this verdant earth was a lifeless, molten chaos, “void and without form.” Closeup detail of the horse-drawn covered wagon followed by the man and boy. Andrew and I posing with the hometown Durand! Closeup detail of the easily overlooked additional figure in the distant lead further along the trail. H/t to Andrew's spotting!
December 6, 2025 at 1:41 AM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Delighted to help uncover Durand's evocative original name for 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦. Thanks to Ex Dir Shaun for the image!

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘚𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘺, oil on canvas, 1844, RAM: Richmond [Ind.] Art Museum, richmondartmuseum.org/permanent-co...

#art #painting #zen
Painting with trees bracketing each side of the darkly shadowed foreground giving way to a bright midground scene of a stream and pond with a boy herding cows toward the background down a stone-marked path and across a small bridge to a watering place. Mountains define the distant background beneath a cloudy sky. From Ladies Repository, May 1845: "Mountain gently rising above mountain in the background, the translucent river slowly moving its waveless waters through the still forest, the farmer's boy driving the wearied cattle to drink the refreshing stream, the majestic sycamores lifting their heads to the clouds, and interrupted pencils of mellow light falling upon the scene from the hidden and descending sun, are all calculated to inspire that feeling of melancholy and tranquility which is the appropriate emotion of evening." Daniel Huntington in his Memorial Address for Durand, 1887, observed that after Durand's European Tour, 1840-41, "European images were still hovering in his brain. There was danger that the wild freshness of our American forests, lakes, and mountains might lose their hold on his heart. But no." This landscape was "among the first to indicate the return of his early feeling, with greatly increased knowledge and power."
November 27, 2025 at 7:49 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

From a recent visit to the Met!

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯, oil on canvas, 1865, Met: Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...

#art #painting #zen
Summer landscape with a river on the left and cattle on the right under a grove of trees along the river bank. From the April 1915 Bulletin of the Met: "One of the latest of his pictures is called a 'Summer Afternoon,' and epresents a quiet landscape, with water, meadow, trees, and cattle, all bathed in the soft, calm, and mellow light of a warm day, after the fierce heat of noon has subsided, and before the breeze of evening stirs the foliage. The sky and atmosphere, the vegetation, and especially the noble groups of trees, all breathe an air of quiet, brooding warmth and repose. All Durand's rare faculty appears in the latter [the trees], which are full of local character; the details of the scene are exquisitely true, but the surpassing charm is that delicate and deep feeling which revives, as we gaze, the absolute sensation, and above all the sentiment of nature, under this aspect--a quality and a distinction which none of our scenic artists possess in so high a degree as the venerable friend of Cole, and, with him, the founder of an American school of landscape which has, at home and abroad, shed a peculiar renown upon the art of this country. We rejoice to find that Durand's powers of execution and tone of feeling are as vivid and pure as ever; this picture has all his most endeared characteristics." Detail of two cows at water's edge and another approaching from behind a gentle rise in the land. Trees and horizon form the background. Detail of tree branches and leaves with sky in the background. Yours truly posing in front of the painting in visible storage at the Met.
November 21, 2025 at 7:28 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Okay, it’s not an Asher Durand painting, but it almost seems like having one in our home after a Herculean effort to clean years of grime off a window that’s 20 feet off the ground.

Bring on the winter. We’ll grab as much light as we can from these upstate NY skies!
November 19, 2025 at 2:05 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦, oil on canvas, 1855, St. Louis Art Museum, www.slam.org/collection/o...
Composition with birch trees in the center and right of the canvas, seeming to mark the entrance to a forest. Blue sky and distant bluish mountains. Rocks, roots, and leaves in the foreground.
November 15, 2025 at 3:08 AM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
🇪🇹 Ethiopian Cooking 🇪🇹

Kik Alicha | ክክ አልጫ

Yellow split peas, but the real yellow is from the turmeric! Crucial: fresh garlic and ginger--i.e. from cloves and roots, not convenient little bottles. 😊

Cheers to the Toronto Star @thestar.com for the easy recipe.
Close-up photo of a bright yellow stew with identifiable split peas.
November 15, 2025 at 3:00 AM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
🇪🇹Ethiopian Cooking 🇪🇹

Azifa | አዚፋ

Second effort. Better seasoned. Recipe looks easy but getting the balance right is tricky.

Tried sautéed onions and jalapeños initially, but decided uncooked with more crunch and flavor are better, esp. the red onions.

Next time: less lentil-mashing!
Close-up photograph of the salad. Olive-colored lentils dominate with bits of minced red onion and jalapeño. Glistens from lemon juice and olive oil.
November 14, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by J. Stephen Clark 🏳️‍🌈
ewhowe.com
Statement from the Unitarian Universalist Association and 8 other denominations:
“…our faiths call on us to proclaim that transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people deserve respect, love, and equal rights.… our beloveds are created in the image of God – Holy and whole.”
www.uua.org/pressroom/pr...
www.uua.org
November 12, 2025 at 8:09 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
ORIGINAL ANTI-FASCIST!

Here’s to my late grandfather: 2nd Infantry Division machine gunner (😳). Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, invasion of Germany, liberation of camps, and on to Pilsen, Czechoslovakia before returning to train for the invasion of Japan.
November 11, 2025 at 12:47 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
ቲማቲም ሰላጣ 🇪🇹

Timatim Salata

Not hard to make, but the ginger and (if one likes) berbere give it a different profile than salsa.
Overhead view of a newly made bowl of Ethiopian Tomato Salad. Bits of diced Roma tomato, red onion, and jalapeño glisten with lemon juice and olive oil. Less visible but not lost in the taste: finely minced ginger.
November 9, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Reposted by J. Stephen Clark 🏳️‍🌈
lyndacarter.bsky.social
Hey!
Calling all Wonder Women!
We all are sisters…pulling together with one spirit.
50 years ago today the first episode of the series Wonder Woman aired.
November 8, 2025 at 1:33 AM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Squirrel!

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴, oil on canvas, 1855, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
In this monumental painting, based on outdoor sketches made in New York’s Catskill Mountains during the summer of 1854, Durand focused on rendering the shadowy solitude of the deep woods. While the painting was on view at the National Academy of Design in 1855, the artist published his acclaimed "Letters on Landscape Painting." He wrote in evocative terms: "That is a fine picture which at once takes possession of you—draws you into it—you traverse it—breathe its atmosphere—feel its sunshine, and you repose in its shade without thinking of its design or execution, effect or color." Detail of the woods Detail of the sky, mountain, and river visible at the far opening through the forest like a tunnel Detail of the squirrel sitting on a fallen tree trunk
November 7, 2025 at 9:24 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
Cause > Effect

Time for a batch of Aunt Virginia’s chili!
November 1, 2025 at 3:23 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
🎃 Hudson River Zen 🎃

Washington Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯, 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵., 51-120, 1819, New York: C.S. Van Winkle, archive.org/details/irvi...

John Quidor, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘥 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘦, 1858, Smithsonian, americanart.si.edu/artwork/head...
October 31, 2025 at 5:22 AM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Face-to-Leaf!

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴, oil on canvas, 1845, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti....
October 27, 2025 at 7:20 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
Great time watching the great Krakowski tonight!
October 26, 2025 at 3:21 AM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
🇪🇹Ethiopian Cooking 🇪🇹

Azifa | አዚፋ

Chilled Green Lentil Salad 😊

Note to self: Don’t fear the ground mustard and jalapeños
Small bowl of Azifa, a chilled green lentil salad with red onion, jalapeños, olive oil, ground mustard, and lemon juice.
October 20, 2025 at 9:36 PM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
== Hudson River Zen ==

Asher Brown Durand, 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴' 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, oil on canvas, 1864, Yale University Art Gallery, artgallery.yale.edu/collections/...

#art #painting #zen
October 18, 2025 at 1:50 AM
jstephenclark.bsky.social
I’ve never felt a need for a rainbow flag in my office. But now federal workers are being fired for pride displays, with the cult cheering it on. So I decided to dedicate a new pride flag to Trumpers, deliberately positioned in my Zoom background next to my faculty awards for teaching and service. 🏳️‍🌈
October 12, 2025 at 5:36 PM