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Podcast: Other Voices
Episode: Thom Breitenbach, an Altamont artist and his legacy
Description: Thom Breitenbach built, with his own hands, the castle where he lives on the shoulder of the escarpment. He wrested Helderberg bluestone from his land and forged its iron hardware. Born in Queens, he had moved to the outskirts of Altamont when he was 10 and revelled in the natural surroundings — collecting insects and rocks, identifying flora and fauna from field guides. As a teenager, he built grandfather clocks and a harpsichord. He started to paint in earnest after a Guilderland High School classmate gave a presentation on Salvadore Dali and Hieronymus Bosch. The fascination lasted a lifetime. At 24, Breitenbach painted “Prov...