Jeanne Mackin, and Paul West at Jeanne's book reading at the Tompkins County Public Library in Ithaca, in 2007.

A Sculpture from 1957


"Apogee" welded and forged steel, 60" X 12" 1957


DURING THE SUMMER OF 1957 I learned how to weld metal and, in my youthful enthusiasm, working in Zaminski's automobile repair shop in Pringle, PA, I completed twelve pieces of sculpture in three months. Of these only three remain. The one pictured above, Apogee, which had been at parent's house until they died, I have moved to my garden in Ithaca. There is a piece in the collection of the Everhart Museum in Scranton, PA, and another in a private collection. The other nine have been destroyed.

SP

Some Recent Photographs


"Three Tom-II" photo/inkjet print, 2009

"Empty Stamps-1," photo/inkjet print, 2010

"Tomato Seeds-2" photo/inkjet print 2010

"Review-I," photo/inkjet print, 2009

"Clipped Orchid," 2009, photo/inkjet print

"Yellow Vase-II" photo/inkjet print, 2009

"Double Thirty-nine-II," photo/inkjet print, 2009

"Before the Piano Was Moved" photo/inkjet print, 2009

Discussion

"Facing West" photo/inkjet print, 2005

"Tangerines," photo ink/jet print, 2010

LITERARY INSPIRATION: Meet Stephen Poleskie

An article from the ITHACA JOURNAL, 10/​10/​2007
**********************************************************

Where is your favorite place to write?

In my studio at home.

Has Ithaca influenced your writing in any way?

Yes,by knowing and being able to associate with all the fine writers who live in this town. And it was in Ithaca that I met my wife, the author Jeanne Mackin.

When do you get most of your writing done?

In the evening, when all my other work is finished. Writing for me is a recreation. If no one wants to read what I have written at least I have had the joy of doing it. I have written 103 short stories, and published eight, and six novels and published one.

Name two books that have inspired your writing?

“The Street of the Crocodiles” by Bruno Schulz, and “Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass” by Bruno Schulz

Who is your favorite author?

Bruno Schulz

What's your favorite font?

Helvetica

What do you want readers to take away from your work?

A sense of understanding about what I have written, and how it relates to their own lives.

What do you love most about being an author?

I am not adding to the large inventory of stuff I already have stored in the attic, garage, and barn left over from the years when I was a visual artist.

What are you working on now?

I have just finished a novel about deceit and corruption in the American political process. I call it "The Third Candidate."

If you could have dinner with any three fictional characters, which would you choose?

Mrs. Marple, Sir Lancelot, and Rip van Winkle.

***


QUESTION

Submitted by: Helen P, Annapolis, MD

Q: Do you just photograph still lifes?

SP: No. I photograph all kinds of subjects when I find the light touching something in an interesting way. These are things mostly around the house, in the back room, corners, etc. What I don't photograph right now are landscapes and people.

Q: Why no landscapes or people?

SP: Well I used to paint landscapes and people and may go back to these things in the future. What galleries seem to want to exhibit these days are my still lifes, mainly the ones with floral arrangements. So people rarely get to see the photos that do not have flowers. In answer to your question I have posted few a examples of my other subjects below. As you can see I deal a lot with simple things, things that one might nor see as beautiful at first glance.

***

"St. Francis Basket" photo/inkjet print 2010

"Laundry Room" photo/inkjet print 2009

"Hummingbird Feeder-2" photo/inkjet print, 2009

"Hummingbird Feeder-1" photo/inkjet print, 2009

"Whistle" photo/inkjet print, 2009

COMMENTS

Click and type in a question or comment

I read the White Painting story and more then anything I found myself wishing that the fictional white painting existed, and that I would have the privilege of seeing it for myself. So I suppose I did believe parts of it, even though after reading it I noticed that underneath one of the accompanying photographs there was a caption that stated the story was made up. The last eerie line of that story is still in my mind...

~ Amy (from the SOAG gallery)

Steve this is Michael Chernoff again...having trouble finding you email adress. Wanted to ask for a list of books you have written. Really enjoyed the ¨Loopf Bag¨ reading. Let me know at mac22@alfred.edu


Hey Steve I once again will claim how much I enjoyed your lecture today. I'll keep the obituaries from the NY Times in mind. For the record the guy in the room with the tie was named Michael Chernoff. You can visit my website if you have time at http://michaelimageslide.weebly.com/

Thanks for all the useful information

***

Hello Steve, I was one of your printmaking students at Cornell, getting my BFA in 1978. I'm a graphic designer now and wish that I had taken my art more seriously back then. It's wonderful to see all the things you've been doing over the years. Sharon Palatnik Simoncini

***

Steve, I am an artist and aviatrix who just started flying aerobatics. I show my work at Patricia Carega's gallery in Sanwich NH and she told me about you. I live in Alfred NY and fly out of Hornell (4G6) and would love to meet you. I teach at Alfred University (painting). If you email me I can send you images of my paintings which are all about flying aerobatics.

Hope to hear from you!

Thanks, Lise Lemeland Lemelandl@alfred.edu

***

Exciting material about the art world, the literary world, and the people in those worlds.
Thaddeus Rutkowski

***

I like your web site very much!
-- Susie from Idaho

Selected Works

Novels
Vigilia's Tempest
A well-known American stunt pilot, and university professor, meets a strange old man named Caliban who tells him the story of his twin brother who as a young boy flew with Charles Lindbergh as his secret copilot on his famous solo trans-Atlantic flight.
The Balloonist, The Story of T.S.C. Lowe, Inventor, Scientist, Magician, and Father of the U.S. Air Force.
Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe (1823−1913) was called by Carl Sandburg "the most shot-at man of the Civil War."
The Third Candidate
An unemployed actor answers an ad for a rent-free apartment and finds himself involved in a bizarre scheme to rig an election.
Novel in Stories
Grater Life
A collection of short stories, interwoven into a dialog between a volunteer hospital visitor and a patient afflicted with AIDS.
Selected Short Stories
Aristotle Thinking
This story appeared in Essays & Fictions, Summer 2010, and in Fiction Daily
My Son the Philosopher
A short story that appeared in SATIRE magazine in 1997
Marta's White Painting
A story that appeared in Imago, the Australian literary magazine
Cemetery Watcher
A short story published in the Sulphur River Literary Review, Austin, TX
Fishkill
A short story in the Print Annual of Many Mountains Moving, a Literary Journal, 2008-9, nominated for a Pushcart Prize
Victory Parade
A short story published in Wordwrights, a literary magazine from Washington, D. C.

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