'It's never too late to find your passion.'

By LAUREN MODISETTE

Published on August 17, 2007

Arthritis isn't so much a curse as it is a blessing for retired violinist Elaine Mishkind of Amherst. When bowing the strings was no longer in her cards, she found a new calling - photography.

"Basically you can find beauty in anything," Mishkind said. "You don't even need to leave Amherst to find something beautiful."

Mishkind taught violin for about 25 years at the University of Hartford. Since then, she has moved to South Amherst and involved herself in activities she wouldn't have otherwise considered, photography being just one. Now she has her first photo exhibit on display at the Rockridge Retirement Community in Northampton.

Mishkind used to take family portraits and what she calls "pretty pictures" when she was a child. Since then she has taken multiple workshops with photojournalist Robert Floyd.

"I wanted to create art photos not just pretty pictures," she said. "The turning point was when I went out my door one morning to photograph in January. I wanted to capture the light." She adds that she only intended to be out for an hour or two and return in time for lunch.

"I came in after I had enough and the dining room was closed," she said. "I was out for six hours - I knew something had happened."

As Mishkind talked she expressed modesty, nostalgia, and a hint of uneasiness about the door she has opened for herself.

"I was so full of energy, joy, passion and love," she said, "I called Robert and wanted to get together and do a critique. It took off from there and it led to this."

Mishkind said that she had to learn to critique her own images and that it's a tremendous learning experience for any artist.

"It's like I'm able to separate myself and see the beauty in different images," she said.

The 20-odd images on display through the halls of Rockridge present flowers, goldfish and landscapes.

One image, titled "Oops! Wrong Way!," depicts a goldfish and a Lotus flower. The goldfish has a wonderful twist to its body that pulls the viewer's eye across the photo, and the combination of oranges, pinks and greens complement each other nicely to form a beautiful composition.

Another remarkable print, titled "The Last Snow," and taken at sunset on a winter day, proves that there is still beauty in those bare months. A storm cloud hovers on the left of the frame as the hot white and yellow of the sunset silhouettes some trees to the right. The light reflects off cascading snow towards the center of the photo, causing a blur of yellow and grey.

When asked to choose her favorite, Mishkind chuckled and said, "It's like asking a mother which is her favorite child. My images talk to me and I come alive when I talk about them."

Gesturing toward her "Windswept" photograph, she said that she was late to an appointment when she drove past the sight, but she just had to stop the car, turn around and capture it.

The print frames a mammoth tree in full foliage, bordered with the soft beige of tall grass in a field on a warm day with clouds scattered about. Mishkind said its simplicity is what makes it special.

"As I look at it I see more and more, and I feel more and more," she said. "I'm 76 years old. It's never too late to find your passion."

"All Things Beautiful" is on view through Aug. 31 at the Rockridge Retirement Community at 25 Coles Meadow Road in Northampton.