pappasbland

Photography

Recent Photographs

Yes we are seeing a lot of monarchs right now.

Similar levels of opacity, that's for sure. I would love some chicken noodle soup right now.
-Tom

Acid mine water in the tide pools and rocks at Spittal Beach, Northumberland, England:

![](https://m.stacker.news/156749)

![](https://m.stacker.news/156750)

![](https://m.stacker.news/156751)

End of summer light, at the pool nearby:

![](https://m.stacker.news/156752)

A short walk in our meadow a couple of evenings ago. Low sun, goldenrod and asters, crickets still going strong. Berkshires, MA.

![](https://m.stacker.news/156754)

![](https://m.stacker.news/156755)

![](https://m.stacker.news/156753)

![](https://m.stacker.news/156756)

And last night, milkweed and dahlias in the mist:

![](https://m.stacker.news/156757)

![](https://m.stacker.news/156758)

![](https://m.stacker.news/156760)

All photographs by either Tom Bland or Diana Pappas. Feedback or questions welcome!

Summer is in a hurry here in the Berkshires and will not slow down no matter how much we want it to.

![](https://m.stacker.news/151913)

It’s a glorious time to be here, a time to load blueberries into the chest freezer, make opulent bouquets of flowers, stay up late to look for meteors, say yes to parties and playdates and go swimming as much as possible because if there’s one thing the goldenrod is telling us as it begins to flower, fall is coming. So before summer totally passes us by, here’s what we have been up to this season:

# **Small Wonders**

Tom’s *White Frame* photograph was included in a group show of small works by regional artists at Spencertown Academy Arts Center, NY. The *Small Wonders* show ran from July 11 until August 9 and featured some great work across a variety of media.

![](https://m.stacker.news/151914)

# **TCF**

*White Frame* is also included in *The Curated Fridge Summer 2026 Show*. Curated by Rachel Vogel (Assistant Curator at the Addison Gallery of American Art), it looks like a fantastic group show and we’re thrilled to be exhibited on the fridge for the second time. For more information and to see the work, visit their [website](https://www.thecuratedfridge.com/) and keep an eye on their [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/thecuratedfridge/).

![](https://m.stacker.news/151915)

If you are interested in a print of *White Frame*, we’ve made a small edition just for you. Small both in dimensions and small in quantity, they’re printed on 4 x 6” Polar Gloss Metallic paper (255gsm) in an edition of 6 for $25 each (or the equivalent in sats) including free shipping (US), signed and numbered. Let us know in the comments below if you’d like one and we can start the conversation, or if you live outside the US and want to discuss shipping.

![](https://m.stacker.news/151917)

# **Meet the Berkshires**

In case you missed it, the second feature for our new publication *Meet the Berkshires* went out last month and featured [Lily Thorne](https://theberkshires.substack.com/p/lily-thorne-studio), a fine woodworker here in our town of West Stockbridge. Our next edition is now in progress.

![](https://m.stacker.news/151918)

# **The Art Stand**

Though the weather forecast as been notoriously changeable around these parts, our Art Stand is open once again and stocked with a rotating selection of small prints and copies of our zine, *First Frost / Final Bloom*. We also occasionally stock it with extra garden produce and some flowers. Slowly but surely The Art Stand is gaining some traction, but these things take time. We recently had some visitors who are based in Canada but frequently visit the Berkshires to meet up with family here. They had picked up one of our [free zines from the info booth](https://newsletter.pappasbland.com/p/liveandletgift) last year but not opened it until they got home to Canada. Inside, they found information about our art stand and made a mental note to check it out next time they were in town. Sure enough, almost a year later they came to visit. It really solidified for us how seemingly small local ideas like free homemade zines can stand out as being unique and make a connection with someone who is looking for something different/analog/human.

![](https://m.stacker.news/151919)

# **A New Horticulturist**

This past May Diana graduated from Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Certificate Program (Level 1), a fantastic experience that covered topics from Herbaceous Plants, Soil health, Native Plants, Garden Design, Plant Health Care, Propagation and much more. New friends, colleagues, and connections were made, and unexpected roles and opportunities have emerged. 

In many ways, our *First Frost / Final Bloom* zine would not exist if Diana hadn’t taken the leap to get her horticulture certificate – she would not have sat in her herbaceous plants class learning all about dahlias from Lee Buttala, who would later write the most lovely introduction to our zine. And speaking of our zine…

# **First Frost / Final Bloom**

Our art zine continues to reach new people, from farm stands and garden gift shops to brick-and-mortar book and design stores. Our latest stockist is a very exciting one: former fashion designer and gallerist Matthew Ames has opened a beautiful new store in Lenox that showcases handmade items made by over 80 artisans. From furniture to home goods, art to lighting, books to jewelry and so much more, the collection at [Walker Street Market](https://walkerstreetmarket.com/) is impeccably curated and a real pleasure to explore. You can learn more about it [here](https://galeriemagazine.com/matthew-ames-opens-walker-street-market-a-haven-for-contemporary-craft/). We’re thrilled that *First Frost / Final Bloom* is available there and in the company of such inspiring work.

![](https://m.stacker.news/151920)

Stockists of our zine now include:

* [11 Lenox Flower Farm](https://maps.app.goo.gl/SaVWny5214oPn3Zf8), West Stockbridge, MA
* [Shaker Mill Books](https://www.shakermillbooks.com/), West Stockbridge, MA
* [Berkshire Botanical Garden](https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/), Stockbridge, MA
* [Walker Street Market](https://walkerstreetmarket.com/), Lenox, MA
* [Arcana: Books on the Arts](https://www.arcanabooks.com/), Culver City, CA

If you live further afield you can order a copy from us directly at [https://pappasbland.com/fffb](https://pappasbland.com/fffb)

# **Stormy**

Cat ownership continues to be interesting for us. Stormy is an indoor cat, but she observes the great outdoors with high interest. One night, while sitting by the sliding door onto our deck, she was joined on the other side of the glass by a mystery black cat and they sat together for much of the night. It hasn’t been seen since but that cat made quite an impression on her. She was glued to that spot for days afterwards, waiting for her friend, until a few days later when a black bear walked past our house. Stormy saw it and spent the next few days hiding in confined spaces. She’s back to her normal self now, diligently hunting any flies that manage to get inside.

![](https://m.stacker.news/151921)

# **Meadow Gradient II**

Now, a new photograph: Tom is building a collection of photographs of our meadow as seen from the house through painter’s plastic, and this is a very Rothko-esque addition to the series. We dedicate this to the memory of our friend, Bindy. We will miss him deeply.

![](https://m.stacker.news/151922)

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your summer.
Diana & Tom

Summer Round-Up from Western Massachusetts

mostly_harmless

AskSN

food_and_drinks

If this week wasn't already enough...

oshigood

Oh no, that really sucks. Sorry to hear this!

Photographs are assets

Ha ha, I always see it as being surprised, but it's whatever you want it to be.

We have been going through our archives recently, surfacing photographs that we overlooked previously, processing them, and thinking about how they could work for us going forwards. Photographs are assets after all – they don't do much for you if they're sitting on a hard drive, much like having fiat currency sitting in your bank account. Here's a selection of work – some really old, some not so much – across a variety of subjects. Let us know if something catches your eye!

![](https://m.stacker.news/148674)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148675)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148676)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148677)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148678)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148679)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148680)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148681)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148682)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148683)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148684)

![](https://m.stacker.news/148685)

4th of July Photos from the beach

PictureRoom

Stroll around Savannah

Meet the Berkshires: Lily Thorne Studio

They really do, it's a magical place. The photos mostly shot themselves.

One of our ongoing projects is a Substack publication called *Meet the Berkshires*. It's a place for us to showcase the workplace portraiture side of what we do, and feature the local makers, artisans, and small businesses that we discover in our corner of western MA, USA. In our latest edition we profile Lily Thorne, a fine woodworker and maker of custom furniture and tableware. Taking an analog approach, she designs with pencil and paper at her drafting desk and builds with locally sourced, air-dried lumber in the magical workshop she shares with her father. Lily tells her story in [the full interview](https://theberkshires.substack.com/p/lily-thorne-studio), but here we'll just share a bunch of the photographs. Hope you like them!
-Tom

![](https://m.stacker.news/142834)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142835)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142836)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142837)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142851)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142850)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142838)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142839)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142840)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142841)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142842)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142843)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142844)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142845)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142846)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142847)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142848)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142849)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142852)

![](https://m.stacker.news/142853)

SATURDAY SHARE!!!

Nice shots Colin. I don't have anything that I can share this week. I'm processing a bunch of stuff but gotta hold them back for now.
-T

Introducing NOICE+

Design

Photographs by Tom Bland

Forsythias are often maligned as unruly shrubs that don’t offer much beyond their spring bloom. While they may not be a haven for pollinators and birds, I always enjoy their chartreuse explosion as being a definitive marker that winter is truly behind us. With some spectacular forsythias blooming in my immediate vicinity, I began to wonder about others that I hadn’t seen – where were they hiding, and what did they look like?

This brief project over a couple of days in April had me driving around our town of West Stockbridge MA searching for bursts of yellow. In the process, I met residents of the town I had never spoken with before, helped a guy with a flat tire and no cell service call his mechanic nearby, and explored roads and lanes of the town that I had never seen.

We have made a small zine of this project featuring a selection of the photographs – grab a copy from the West Stockbridge info booth. Unfold it and stick it on your fridge!

![](https://m.stacker.news/140205)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140206)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140207)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140208)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140209)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140210)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140211)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140212)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140213)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140214)

![](https://m.stacker.news/140215)

More at [https://pappasbland.com/forsythias-of-west-stockbridge](https://pappasbland.com/forsythias-of-west-stockbridge)

Forsythias of West Stockbridge

the_stacker_muse

Bike ride to pond (unedited)

billytheked

We've been going through the archives a lot recently. Here are a few photographs that haven't seen the light of day for a long time, if at all.
-Tom

![](https://m.stacker.news/137299)
Whitby, UK

![](https://m.stacker.news/137300)
Isle of Mull, Scotland

![](https://m.stacker.news/137301)
Teesdale, England

![](https://m.stacker.news/137304)
Consett, England

![](https://m.stacker.news/137302)
Catskills, NY

![](https://m.stacker.news/137305)
Vienna, Austria

![](https://m.stacker.news/137306)
New York City

Trawling through the archives

A trip to the middle of nowhere

Is your switch to RPP versus Lightroom & Dehancer a permanent one?
-T

bitcoin

bitcoin_Mining

BTC group field trip to a mining facility

I'd love to see something like this. Puts things into scale, provides perspective. Did they have any battery storage on site?
-T