I know I have written a lot recently about dead people: my parents, my neighbor Florette, most recently Arnold Black. I do know people who are alive, I promise! And next week we’ll publish an article about one or more of them. I have one more dead person to write about now, however.

I recently learned that the Colrain Historical Society is featuring the late Judith Russell at its “Colrain and the Hilltowns on Canvas” fundraising art show this weekend, Sept. 23 and 24.

A folk artist, Judy was a fixture in Shelburne Falls from about 1983 until the time of her death in 1994. A schoolteacher for many years, she decided shortly before her arrival in these parts to give up a steady paycheck in order to become a full-time artist, not an easy thing to do in middle age.

Her home in Shelburne, which she and her son Wes had created and dubbed the Frogcastle after one of her fantasy creations, had only wood heat and was hard to get in and out of in snowy weather. She consequently started spending winters in my mother’s antique shop in Shelburne Falls, the Merry Lion.

Eventually, she sold the house as it was too hard to maintain financially. She spent the remaining years of her life in and out of the Merry Lion. Fortunately, my mother usually had an elderly bed for sale somewhere in the shop.

Judy became a familiar figure in Shelburne Falls, sitting at her colorful wooden painting desk (built by Wes and decorated by Judy), looking out at the Bridge of Flowers through the shop window, and chatting to customers. She always pictured herself as shy; she was certainly soft of voice.

Nevertheless, she had a remarkable knack for getting to know a great deal about people, and for making her presence felt. Just about everyone in the hilltowns came to know this imaginative woman and her art.

She and my mother made a dynamic team in the shop, complementing each other’s interpersonal skills and sharing a love of whimsy and laughter.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

‘Prism effect’ created by sunlight, glass jar believed to be cause of minor Northfield fire

Jacobs back at helm of Newton School in Greenfield

‘Home for the Holi-gays’ blends drag show with musical theater in Turners Falls

Bulletin Board: Day 3 of Massachusetts Shotgun Deer Hunting Season

Real Estate Transactions: Dec. 6, 2024

UMass football: Amid coaching search, pair of blunders has athletic department in the spotlight

Your Daily Puzzles

Cross|Word

Flipart

Typeshift

SpellTower

Really Bad Chess

Judy cited Grandma Moses, who began her art career at an even older age than Judy, as an inspiration for her art. The two women certainly shared a vision of a colorful, old-fashioned New England landscape.

To this, Judy added a love of animals. She delighted in depicting frogs, cows and pigs. Her favorite theme, borrowed from another American folk artist, Edward Hicks (not to mention the Old Testament), was the Peaceable Kingdom.

She painted a world in which lions, lambs, and little children frolicked and rested together and where daffodils were almost always in bloom.

Judy made art out of just about any surface she came across. She repurposed old boards and frames for paintings. She decorated signs, stools, desks and doors.

She also decorated cakes and cookies, although they looked much more beautiful than they tasted. I could never figure out why. She seemed to have the equivalent of a brown thumb when it came to baking.

Eventually, we merged our skills in this area. I baked goods that tasted good, and she decorated them with pizzazz.

It was gentle Judy who suggested that I write my first cookbook, “The Pudding Hollow Cookbook,” to showcase her art and my writing.

She died before it could be completed, but her daughter Cara and others lent me art to use throughout the book. Laying out the pages, it felt as though her spirit was looking over my shoulder as I placed her paintings and drawings between recipes and stories.

Judy didn’t cook a lot while she was living at the Merry Lion. The kitchen there consisted of a hot plate, a miniscule sink, and my college mini-fridge, but Judy made do. She was always happy to be invited to dinner, however, and she ate at our home frequently.

She loved comfort food. Her ideal meal consisted of roast chicken, potatoes and gravy. She adored chicken soup and never met a potato chip or a pickle she didn’t like.

We frequently served her a standby in our neighborhood, Hamburger Stroganoff, after she tasted it and told us how much she loved it. I think of her whenever I make the recipe. It appears below.

”Colrain and the Hilltowns on Canvas” will take place on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23 and 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center on Main Street in Shelburne Falls. The $10 entrance fee raises money for the Colrain Historical Society.

Judith Russell’s daughter, Cara Morton, will offer some of Judy’s paintings for sale at the exhibit. My “Pudding Hollow Cookbook” will also be there … in case there is anyone left in the area who doesn’t own a copy.

The dill in this recipe may seem odd to those who associate paprika with Stroganoff. You are welcome to substitute paprika for the dill if you like, but I think the dill adds a fresh, bright flavor to this creamy dish. So did Judy.

Ingredients:

1 cup minced onion

1 clove minced garlic

a dab of sweet butter

1 pound ground beef

1/4 pound mushrooms, sautéed in sweet butter (or more)

1 can (6 ounces) ripe olives

1 cup chicken stock, plus additional water or stock if needed

1 cup sour cream, plus enough to cover the mixture

a sprinkle of fresh or dried dill

Instructions:

Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the beef, breaking it up as you do so, and brown it. Drain off the fat if it looks excessive. Add the mushrooms, olives, and chicken stock, plus enough water to keep the mixture moist. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Partially cover the mixture and cook it for 20 minutes to half an hour, until the liquid has almost evaporated. Stir in the sour cream and heat but do not boil it.

Sprinkle dill over the Stroganoff and serve it over rice or noodles — or by itself, although those additions help sop up the yummy sauce. Serves 4.

Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning author and singer. Her most recent book is “Pot Luck: Random Acts of Cooking.” Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.