SCOTT BLUEDORN

“More than just technically superb, Bluedorn’s fantastical paintings and drawings conjure up a world between the real and the imagined.”
— Coco Myers

“Whether in my painting, drawing, printmaking, or found object assemblage, I am an observer of the natural world and its collision with a modern society. I create drawings that celebrate the mystery and magic of the natural world in a supernatural sense. I am an avid traveler and draw from direct experience of a place, making work that hints at the wonder present in every detail of creation. I draw inspiration from cultural anthropology, primitivism, and nautical tradition, distilling imagery that speaks to the collective unconscious, especially through myth and visual storytelling—a world I conjure as “maritime cosmology.” – SB

Scott Bluedorn was born in 1986, in Southampton, NY and received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He has exhibited extensively on the East End of Long Island, including at the Southampton Art Center, Kathryn Markel in Bridgehampton; folioeast and Roman Fine Arts in East Hampton; the Whaling Museum, Sag Harbor; Crush Curatorial and Ashawagh Hall, Amagansett; the Parrish Art Museum, Watermill, NY, as well as in galleries in Nantucket, New York City, and Miami. Bluedorn’s work is in the collection at The Edward Albee Foundation in New York City, and is included in numerous private collections in the US, Canada, Ireland, France and Portugal. He lives and works in East Hampton, NY.

Bluedorn in his studio

Bluedorn in his studio

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold drawings

SCOTT BLUEDORN speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU WORK IN SEVERAL MEDIUMS?

SB/ I use acrylics, watercolors, inks, graphite, and wood. Each material lends its own capability in expression. I use a range of media and try to challenge myself by always experimenting with new ones. Recently I have turned to various print processes, such as solar plate etching, which is an unusual and versatile printmaking medium.

CM/ HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR SUBJECT MATTER?

SB/ My inspiration comes from various sources — imagery, mythology, anthropology, historical documents and direct experience. I have always used drawing as my primary mode of expression, which is a starting point for how I construct a picture, which may then become an object or assemblage.

CM/ YOU WERE BORN AND RAISED HERE. WHAT CONTINUES TO BE THE BIGGEST DRAW?

SB/ The ocean has been the largest influence in my life, and is a constant generator for my inspiration. Having always been surrounded by its presence, I can’t help but let it seep into my work through many different lenses.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR ON THE EAST END?  AND YOUR FAVORITE PLACE?

SB/ Fall on the east end is the best of all worlds. Warm temperatures, harvest time, wave season, depopulation . . . I always like Montauk for its primal edge of the world feel. As a surfer, the waves are a big draw, but also the secluded coves, bluffs and forest trails are much different than other places on the east end.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME?

SB/ I have a small collection of works traded with other local artists, including Paton Miller, Dalton Portella, Sydney Albertini, Grant Haffner, Colin Goldberg, Billy Strong, Christian Little, and various anonymous "street artists.”

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of drawings

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold paintings

CAROLYN CONRAD

“Conrad’s “constructed” photos of stripped-down architectural forms have an unexpected painterly quality—serene yet powerful. Her lint and string assemblages in neutral tones are unique and beautifully nuanced.”
— Coco Myers

“During the last several years I have created three series of hand-built iconic structures, arranged in the studio then photographed in natural light. My intent was to compose the familiar landscapes of New England and Long Island by building small scale stage sets out of clay, wood, and canvas, then painting and drawing the back drops. The resulting rural scenes evoke an impression of loss and reverie. In the third of the series there is no narrative. Line and structure remain, implying interior and exterior space. Simplifying is what I like to do best.

The dryer lint work, minimal and process-based, is about collecting and assembling. One work can take up to a year to complete. Literally and metaphorically the pieces have been inspired by “working around the house.” The lint assemblages pare away as much as possible yet still continue to evoke the impressions of home and memory of place.

I have also begun a body of work assembling blocks of painted paper, binding them with string in a grid pattern. Collecting a number of bound blocks (or books), I assemble a low relief and abstract woven tableau. A single gridded block reveals the simplicity of form and material.

Concurrently, I am painting and staining paper, building up layers of paint, washing some layers away and leaving worn palimpsest surfaces of exterior sites and floor plans. I love the idea of building forms and spaces of a questionable entity.” — CC

Carolyn Conrad was born in Massachusetts and grew up in a rural town steeped in New England history, a large source of her inspiration. Her early art training at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and undergraduate work at Massachusetts College, helped form her minimalist and conceptual aesthetic. She first exhibited in and around Boston and then moved to New York City, where she received a MFA from New York University. She currently maintains a studio in Sag Harbor, NY.

Conrad’s work has been widely exhibited in galleries, institutions and museums. Exhibitions and installations include: Parrish Museum, Southampton, NY; Guild Hall Museum, East Hampton, NY(solo); folioeast, East Hampton, NY; Pamela Williams Gallery, Amagansett, NY; Flinn Gallery, Greenwich, CT; Alex Ferrone Gallery, Cutchogue, NY; Art in General, New York, NY; Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY; Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis MA; Islip Museum, Islip, NY; Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA; De Cordova Museum, Lincoln, MA; New England School of Photography (solo), Boston, MA; Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, MA; and Cloitre des Billettes, Paris, France.

Carolyn Conrad by Jaime Lopez

Carolyn Conrad by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

CAROLYN CONRAD speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU PRIMARILY USE? AND WHY?

CC/ My favorite materials are paper, linen, canvas, clay, plaster, wood, watercolor and graphite/charcoal. I like materials that take and absorb stain—a material washed, rubbed, pressed into another surface. Edges usually blur or soften, implying times past.

CM/ CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE TECHNIQUES THAT YOU USE TO CREATE THE IMAGES OF HOUSES IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?

CC/ The architecture of "house" and surroundings are my favored icons constructed or deconstructed in a minimal setting. For the last several years I have constructed stages in the studio for the images I photograph. I make the props in the photos with drawings, paintings and by sculpting and constructing, moving objects around and playing with the light before snapping the shutter. The process is limitless but the outcome can take days or weeks.

CM/ WHAT ABOUT YOUR NEW DRYER LINT PIECES AND STRING PIECES?

CC/ My dryer lint work has been ongoing for ten years. Like some of my other work, constructions or assemblage, they engage in a process of containment: How to keep delicate, fragile materials together. Binding stacks of paper gives me the satisfaction of order and control.

CM/ WHEN DID YOU MOVE OUT HERE?

CC/ I moved to Sag Harbor in 1997 with my son and husband after living for twenty years in SoHo. I felt a need to reconnect with my rural roots in New England and was also in need of a new expanded horizon.

CM/ SO THE AREA INSPIRES YOUR WORK?

CC/ Working with the "memory of place," my early beginnings in New England and now the East End of Long Island are definitive influencing factors.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME? WHO WOULD LIKE TO OWN?

CC/ Mary Ellen Bartley, Linda Alpern, Jenny Gorman, James DeMartis, Eric Dever, Claire Watson, Toni Ross. Would love work by Mary Heilmann or Keith Sonnier.

CM/ ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR WORK/PROCESS?

CC/ I often think how much easier it would be to put pencil or paint to paper or canvas and not go through many steps before completion of a piece. But my work habits have been there for years and are part of my personality.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of mixed media

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold painting

PAMELA DOVE

“A spontaneous spirit runs throughout Dove’s monotypes—they give a room a spark of energy.”
— Coco Myers

“With my designs I seek to contain reverberating, sometimes jarring images within the confines of the page through the use of color, texture and often mixed media. Whether literal or symbolic, these themes are reinforced through asymmetry, uneven shapes, strength of order and hand-mixed color.

My visions are achieved through various combinations of painting, printmaking and drawing. The dichotomy of chaos and calm informs and directs my work.” — PD

Pamela Dove was born in New Jersey and graduated with a BFA from Boston University. She began her career as a graphic designer, then worked as an art director and creative director in advertising. Dove ultimately found her niche in printmaking at the National Academy Museum School in NYC.

Her compelling technique combines painting, printmaking and sometimes drawing in a visceral and intellectually stimulating manner.

Dove’s work has been in numerous exhibitions, including: Guild Hall and folioeast, East Hampton, NY; Sea Green Designs, Southampton, NY; Bailey House, New York, NY; IPCNY, New York, NY; National Academy Museum, New York, NY; and the Longoria Collection, Houston, TX.

Dove lives in New York City and Southampton, NY.

Dove in her studio by Jaime Lopez

Dove in her studio by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

PAMELA DOVE speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS OF PRINTMAKING.

PD/In my work I often mix paint, oil ink, chalk, even textural materials, producing a vibrance and energy.

CM/ WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS ART FORM? HOW IS IT SIMILAR TO AND DIFFERENT THAN PAINTING?

PD/ There is clarity but unexpected element to the final result because I do use a printing press. However my work is very much abstract painting, a freedom I embrace.

CM/ HOW DOES THIS AREA INFLUENCE OR INFILTRATE YOUR WORK?

PD/ Being in the country is a welcome contrast from the drama and intensity of my city life. But I have to say, I need both.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE SPOTS ON THE EAST END?  

PD/After working on my contemporary art, forays into little antique shops, the American Hotel in Sag Harbor and walking on Cryder Beach make me very happy.

CM/ IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANYTHING, IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR EAST END ARTIST OR PIECE THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE?

PD/ Reaching for the stars? Eric Fischl.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

DIANE ENGLANDER

“Englander’s small works have outsized personality and charm. Her creative use of color and shape makes each piece really feel unique.”
— Coco Myers

“In my work I aim for a place between discord and tranquility, for the spot with a charged harmony that energizes while also providing refuge. To reach that goal I play one formal element against another to create some friction or conflict within a generally contemplative piece.

The material in front of me—found or repurposed papers, cloth, pieces of wood—influences my direction, as does inspiration from the world outside the studio: a wall, a landscape, a play of shadow.

When the work transmits to me a calm energized by tension, then it is done. Occasionally that happens the same day, or weeks or months later, sometimes never; and then maybe its remnants become a source of inspiration for the next piece.” — DE

A native of New York City, Englander was brought up going to galleries and museums, a sometimes reluctant attendant to her parents’ passion for looking and collecting.

Before beginning to make art herself, she worked as a lawyer for several years and then as a management consultant to local nonprofits concerned with poverty or disenfranchisement.

In late 2006, Englander began making collages that started her on her current path. She studied with Bruce Dorfman at the Art Students League in New York and in 2012 attended the Vermont Studio Center with an artist’s grant. In 2013 she won the Allied Artists of America award at the Butler Institute of American Art. She currently maintains studios in New York City and Southampton, NY.

Englander has had solo exhibits at the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery at U.Conn-Avery Point; Hampden Gallery at U. Mass., Amherst; the Grubbs Gallery in Easthampton, MA; and at the Living Room Gallery at Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan. She has exhibited in group shows across the United States and in Italy.

Englander by Jaime Lopez

Englander by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

DIANE ENGLANDER speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ DO YOU WORK ON PAPER OR CANVAS OR BOTH? WITH WHAT MATERIALS?

DE/ I work on canvas, on paper, and with wood and cardboard, using acrylic, pencil, ink. I look around my studio and pick up the material that at that moment seems most promising. Often I work from the piece of wood or paper or cardboard just as I find it, perhaps shaped by having been cut or torn from a larger piece. Sometimes I tear or cut almost randomly, and work from that. I am almost always working in different media at the same time, moving from one piece to another.

CM/HOW DO YOU BEGIN A COMPOSITION?

DE/ The color is the first decision with a canvas, because almost all of my canvases have a single background color. And that choice  is intuitive. I look at the tubes of paint and go with my instinct. A lot of the real joy I find in making art springs from discovering inspiration serendipitously. The other day I found in my bin of wood odds and ends two small rectangles of wood glued together, painted, gouged . . . but unappealing. I hurled the pairing at the floor of my studio to break it apart, and then was practically chortling with pleasure at the possibilities offered by these two damaged pieces of wood.

CM/WHY DO YOU WORK ON A SMALL SCALE ?

DE/ I started out working small because I was working at a folding table at the Art Students League. Then I realized I enjoyed making objects that felt much larger than their dimensions. I hope for a sense of monumentality even in small pieces.

CM/ HOW DOES THIS AREA INFLUENCE OR INFILTRATE YOUR WORK?

DE/ At the best moments here, with a perfect view of trees in that evening light, or of shadows on the sand, or the feeling of salt water on my skin, I get a sense of calm and of energy that is exactly what I try to transmit through my work.  

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?  

DE/ Our house has a little sunroom that we couldn't figure out how to use, until I finally made it my studio. It's small but it works. It's all windows, surrounded by greenery, and has a small couch where I can read.

CM/ IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANYTHING, IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR EE ARTIST OR PIECE THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE?

DE/ I would love an Esteban Vicente!

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

HIROYUKI HAMADA

“The imagery in Hamada’s prints, paintings and sculptures are novel inventions that capture the imagination and hold the eye.”
— Coco Myers

“Artists are blessed with that rare moment when everything disappears in our studios except for our works and ourselves—that moment when we feel the profound connection to what we have worked on as it melds with the world, space and time.

Such an occasion is indeed very rare but it is what I strive to capture while I struggle in my studio.

I believe that the exploration to perceive the world far beyond the framework of corporatism, colonialism and militarism continues to be a crucial part of being an artist and being human.” — HH

Hamada was born and raised in Tokyo. He holds an MFA from the University of Maryland, has taught sculpture at Penland School of Craft, and served as a Visiting Artist at the Vermont Studio Center. Over the years, he has been awarded various residencies including those at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, Edward F. Albee Foundation/William Flanagan Memorial Creative Person’s Center, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (Skowhegan Fellowship), Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and MacDowell Colony (The Milton and Sally Avery Fellowship).

Hamada has exhibited widely in gallery and non-commercial settings alike. His work has been shown by Lori Bookstein Fine Art and O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, NY; Guild Hall and folioeast, East Hampton, NY; Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, NY; Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI; The List Gallery; Swarthmore, PA; Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, SC, among others.

In 1998, Hamada was the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant, and in 2009 he was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. He was a two time recipient of New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships (2009 and 2017), and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2018.

Hamada lives and works in East Hampton, New York.

Hamada in his studio by Jaime Lopez

Hamada in his studio by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold drawing & mixed media

HIROYUKI HAMADA speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU ARE A PAINTER AND SCULPTOR AND ALSO MAKE PRINTS. TELL ME ABOUT THE VARIOUS MEDIUMS AND MATERIALS?

HH/ I am working with resin, plaster, and foam for my sculptures. I like that they allow flexibility in the process and they are very easy to work with. My current paintings are mostly done with acrylic paint, which allows me to work fast, although I work very very slow. My prints start as drawings and they are finished on my computer. However, the primal challenge is making the ink alive when it hits the paper. It’s been extremely humbling to work with the elusive quality expressed on papers.

CM/ HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

HH/ I really like to let the work speak for itself. I try hard to listen and see how it wants to manifest itself. I struggle quite a bit in my studio—I try to cultivate a momentum in me to tackle the work, and to connect elements to see cohesive dynamics. I try to be open and flexible about my approach. Sometimes amazing things happen but mostly it’s about trying, failing and mostly, again about listening and seeing.

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END? AND HOW DOES IT INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

HH/ My wife is from the East End, and I started to come out here around 1998 or so. I think it was probably the first time I’d really felt seasons—the rhythm of nature must be affecting me.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?

HH/ I have a studio next to our house. The building has a few sections for different kinds of work—office area for prints, a little outside space for sanding, cutting, walls for paintings, a wood shop area, and a spray booth.

CM/ DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM OTHER EAST END ARTISTS?

HH/ I do have respect for those artists in the area and the proximity to their former studios does arouse some sort of a kinship as a fellow explorer of visual elements.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY ANY LOCAL ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME?

HH/ I have some pieces by Bill King in my studio. He lived a few minutes away from my place and we visited each other’s studios once in a while. His pieces remind me of the memories. We also have received some nice artworks as gifts from our artist friends . . . I guess I would rather see great art in public spaces so that we can all look at them.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of drawing & mixed media

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold sculpture

RJT HAYNES

“Haynes’ work makes you feel as if you are right there with the subject; the work is figurative, though filtered through his own eye, and often with a twist of humor.”
— Coco Myers

“My father was a sign writer so I grew up surrounded by the smell of paint and turpentine. I have early memories of climbing ladders and scaffolding to help him work on rooftop signs or the paneled sides of heavy goods vehicles.

Although I went on to study German and Philosophy at Oxford, it was probably inevitable that I would end up as a painter. My work is uncompromisingly figurative, but varied in stylistic treatment, content, and medium. No picture should turn out exactly as originally conceived. I am not in control of the process, nor would I want to be. It’s the journey that’s interesting and discoveries made along the way. I will change my technique or the colors on my palette if it starts to feel too familiar and comfortable. The materials and subject have a say in what becomes of them, and painting is always a form of negotiation or collaboration between us.

I’m not so much interested in fleeting impressions as in their lasting effects, memories and echoes: everything we see is full of cultural and personal references, just as words are to a poet; and I want to tap into that—a ‘simple’ lamb or apple is abuzz with symbolism. But images must also ultimately have a life of their own, and make their own connection with the viewer without exegesis, independently of the artist.” — RH

Toby Haynes was born in Essex, England. He now divides his time between Cornwall, New York City and East Hampton, New York. After studying at the University of Oxford, he turned to painting.

Haynes’ work is widely collected and exhibited. He has shown at the Southampton Cultural Center, Southampton, NY; Parrish Art Museum, the Water Mill Museum, Water Mill, NY; Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, Bridgehampton, NY; RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY; Guild Hall and folioeast, East Hampton, Pamela Williams Gallery, Amagansett, NY; and in London at the Battersea Art Fair and The Art Movement. He won consecutive awards at the East End Arts Council juried shows from 2011-2015.

Dark One,2018, charcoal with pastel, 33 x 23 in

Dark One,2018, charcoal with pastel, 33 x 23 in

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold drawings

RJT HAYNES speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MEDIA ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING IN?

RH/ Oils, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, colored pencil, graphite, ink; various combinations of the above. I like to switch media, subjects, styles—it's only a journey if you're moving.

CM/ ANY PARTICULAR TECHNIQUES YOU USE WHEN CREATING?

RH/ Good drawing is key; I never use preliminary sketches or drawing aids, but work freehand, directly on the final canvas or paper, adjusting forms along the way—changes may be visible in the finished work. I often work in series, exploring colors, textures, forms, emotional resonances, as the theme develops. It's important to let the subject and materials have a say in the outcome, but I don't focus much on techniques per se.

CM/ YOU ARE FROM ENGLAND AND SPEND A LOT OF TIME THERE. HOW DO YOU RELATE TO THE EAST END?

RH/ It's interesting to see the Atlantic from both shores. Where I live, in Cornwall, the seasons are less extreme; there’s no real winter, and (some would say) no real summer either, and it's green all year. The East End is all blue and gold in the summer, and much more muted in winter. I like the transition of winter to spring and summer to autumn best: the change of energy in the air.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE SPOTS ON THE EAST END?

RH/ My friends have a catboat on Three Mile Harbor—a good place to end a summer's day. The Springs General Store is a good place to start one.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of drawings

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold paintings


LESLEY OBROCK

“Obrock’s monoprints have color, character and charm. They feel personal—as if the abstract shapes have a life of their own.”
— Coco Myers

“Very simply, I am inspired to make art because I love colors, shapes and textures.

I often start a piece with only a vague intention of composition and color and then let spontaneity and intuition take over. While I sometimes produce work that is representative, I am most moved to paint abstracted landscapes. I enjoy working with materials that have a tactile sensibility and believe in constantly challenging myself with new techniques, concepts and subject matter.” — LO

Lesley Obrock grew up in the Midwest. Her formative childhood experiences, working alongside her seamstress grandmother amidst piles of fabrics and trims, had a profound impact that sparked a lifelong interest in texture, color and pattern.

Obrock studied painting and printmaking at Meramec Community College in St. Louis, MO and obtained a degree in interior design. She went on to open a private gardening business in St. Louis, which she ran for 18 years. She moved to the east end of Long Island in 2008 and returned full-time to making art in a variety of media—primarily printmaking, encaustic, watercolor and acrylic.

A member of the Artist Alliance of East Hampton, East End Arts and Springs Improvement Society, O’Brock has participated in numerous curated and juried shows, including two curated shows at the Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY, and the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Springs Invitational in East Hampton, NY, the Watermill Center, Watermill, NY, and in several folioeast shows in East Hampton. Her work can be found in private collections across the country.

Lesley OBrock by Jaime Lopez

Lesley OBrock by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

LESLEY OBROCK speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ Can you describe the mediums you work in and your process?

LO/ I primarily make monoprints or small editions of varied prints. I usually start with quick sketches, a general idea of composition and color and then just dive right in. Often I'll end up with something completely different, but that is the nature and beauty of monoprints.

With encaustic I use a mixture of beeswax, damar resin and pigment. It produces a wonderful wax paint that when applied to a substrate has a beautiful texture and luminosity. The materials and studio setup can be tricky. You need to have the wax in a liquid state while applying it to a substrate, then gently reheat it so it adheres to all the wax layers below. This is done with a torch or heat gun and you have to have excellent ventilation.

CM/ HOW DOES THIS AREA INFLUENCE OR INFILTRATE YOUR WORK?

LO/ The beauty of simple things. Sunsets, the way something has weathered from the ocean, there are a lot of things like that. Also, I've made some wonderful friends here.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?

LO/ I have a dedicated studio space with a printing press and encaustic setup that includes a hot palette for heating the colored waxes, scraping and incising tools, blow torch, a full range of brushes and a specially designed ventilation system.

CM/ ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

LO/ Any day I'm making art is a good day.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

BETH O'DONNELL

“O’Donnell’s floral photographs are gorgeous; her mixed-media works are creative, complex, and intriguing.”
— Coco Myers

“For my encaustic works, I create textured paintings on a customized and oversized heated plate to blend abstracted imagery of the real world. The place, the feeling, or experience that I am portraying is a snapshot of my present mindfulness; the size of the work comes from the same inspirational process. I hope the resulting images, whether beach or urban scenes, challenge the viewer to look again at what passes in front of them. I attempt to offer calming, reassuring works as symbols of hope in our ever-changing world.

As a photographer who also has a love of painting, I have created what feels to me to be a natural hybrid of these two interests in my mixed media works. The process often starts with mounting photographs on birch panel. I then cover the images with layers of encaustic wax and paint using pigmented oil sticks and inks.

I also enjoy shooting florals with my macro lens, creating almost abstract portraits of flowers. I get taken away in a meditative way when shooting this way; usually still shooting them with my film camera to get what I’m looking for.” — BO

Beth O’Donnell was born in Evanston, Illinois. In the late nineties she studied photography, first at the Evanston Art Center, then at the International Center for Photography in New York City. In 2002, she spent twenty months in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, doing photojournalistic work that was published in The London Daily Telegraph and Marie Claire.

In 2005, O’Donnell began combining photography with encaustic wax. Most recently, she has been using encaustic wax and pigmented oil sticks to add texture to an array of papers and panels in order to create ethereal geometric forms and abstract landscapes.

O’Donnell’s work has been shown in many exhibitions, including at Ashawagh Hall, Amagansett, NY; The Art Barn at Larkin Pond, folioeast, and Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY; The White Room Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Holly Hunt, Birnam Wood Gallery, Urban Zen, African Rainforest Conservancy, New York, NY; Heiberg Cummings Design, Oslo, Norway; and The Home Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya.

O'Donnell has also exhibited work at the United Nations in conjunction with the Istanbul +5 Conference and her photographs have been auctioned at several major philanthropic events around the United States. Her book, Angels in Africa, published by Vendome Press in 2006, was named by The Guardian (UK) as one of the top ten photography books of that year.

O’Donnell in her studio by Jaime Lopez

O’Donnell in her studio by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

BETH O’DONNELL speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU WORK IN A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS. HOW DO YOU COMBINE THEM?

BO/ I almost always use encaustic wax and oil paint; oil sticks either to make a painting on board or to be used over photography. I melt wax in electric pans or on a large "hot box." I use a heat gun to reheat or move the wax. I also use Japanese rice paper and tissue paper as the ground for encaustic wax paintings. Recently with photography, I've been tearing the photograph, sewing it back together and then applying the clear wax before using brushes and oil paint to finish the work.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO MOST OF YOUR WORK?

BO/ I built a modular barn in East Hampton which is my studio. The space has a loft for an office/resting area and downstairs is the work space. I travel quite a bit and guide safaris, so I also shoot a lot in Africa.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR ON THE EAST END? IS IT ALSO A PARTICULARLY CREATIVE TIME FOR YOU?

BO/ Summer is my favorite season. I know it's crowded but I take the back roads and I'm up early. It is the most creative time for me continuing into fall. I like to open up my studio door and bring the work outside.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME?

BO/ I have two Peter Beard photographs depicting Africa and I also have a large John Alexander painting.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of mixed media

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold photography

VIVIAN POLAK

“There’s a poetic air to the shadows and patterns of a Polak piece, with its unusual angles and unexpected elements of mixed media.”
— Coco Myers

“With photography, ink and paint, I explore the physical locations and inner places I’ve lived in and visited, each as an external and internal landscape. I seek to find the feeling of each space in time and to understand how a space remembers the people who have been there, even long after they have moved through.

I build each work with layers, each one representing a different experience of time and place. Working with moving shadows and shifting patterns, I look to capture moments as we move towards them and as they move past us.

I often start with a photograph that sets a reality on one plane, at one point in time. I then add my own notions of what might have come before and what might come after—in each case seeking to weaken the bind with the “real” reference of the photograph, moving closer to inner the compositions that we all experience.” — VP

Born in New York City, Vivian Polak grew up on Long Island and the coast of Belgium—two places where the combination of water and flat land make for extraordinary light. After many years of working with photography, she now explores how to extend her vision by adding drawing and painting (primarily with inks and watercolors) to her photographs.

She studied at the Art Students League, the International Center of Photography, the New York Studio School and in workshops and studio classes at the Art Barge in Napeague.

Her works are part of numerous private collections and have been shown at The Cheryl Hazan Gallery in NYC; at Clic Gallery, folioeast, and Ashawagh Hall in East Hampton, and at Sylvester & Co at Home in Amagansett.

Vivian Polak by Jaime Lopez

Vivian Polak by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

VIVIAN POLAK speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU PRIMARILY USE? AND WHY?

VP/ I use my own photographs (archival prints), watercolors, ink washes, and etching/intaglio prints and monotypes made with oil-based inks. I find that the surprises and happenstances inherent in working with watercolor, ink, etching and monotypes often upend the certainty found in photographic images—in much the same way that the surprises in life play with the things we think are stable.

CM/ WHAT DEFINES YOUR PARTICULAR STYLE OR METHOD OF WORKING?

VP/ I toss away, or totally mix together, traditional processes and techniques.

CM/ HOW DOES THIS AREA INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

VP/ The East End light permeates my work. The broad horizons (both ocean and land), as well as the telephone poles and wires, often form the key lines in my pieces. And the large skies of the East End often form the basis for the fields of color.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR?

VP/ I was about to say that late spring is my favorite, as the shoes go in the closet and the shorts come out; but then I thought of early fall when the ocean waves take on hurricane dramatics; but then I thought of winter when I'm captivated by the shadow patterns on the snow.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE SPOTS ON THE EAST END WHERE YOU FEEL MOST INSPIRED?

VP/ Napeague Bay is one of my favorites—the views of ocean and bay, the horizon lines, the phone poles, the grasses. The walks along Fosters Path and Northwest Path often clear my head and open up trails I can follow in my mind for different approaches in the studio.

CM/ DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM ARTISTS ON THE EAST END?

VP/ Yes. I'm in love with the work of Louisa Chase. And Ross Bleckner.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME?

VP/ I've got several pieces by Michele D'Ermo, which totally capture the moods and colors of the East End. In my next life, I would love to have Louisa Chase's painting called "Wave" to look at every day.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

BASTIENNE SCHMIDT

“Schmidt mines the art of geometry and plumbs the world of shapes and hues. Her intellect and creativity come through in every piece.”
— Coco Myers

“Through photography, painting and drawing, I explore concepts of identity and place. Photography and art fall into the realm of archeology—searching for layers of history and meaning, and re-assigning value to them. I spent my childhood surrounded by my father’s archeological work, which instilled in me a desire to organize, map, and attempt to understand systems through artwork. My large scale drawings and paintings can be seen as mind maps made up of juxtaposed pieces of cultural influences.

I use an artistic process that often consists of layering thin transparent paper upon which I paint and draw. Paper offers an intuitive medium that allows for overlapping and for organic coming together of spaces.

Geometric forms, such as circles, triangles and squares, play a large role in my work and the use of a multifold of blues goes back to my childhood, growing up on the Greek island of Samos. For my paintings and drawings I have created a personal topography that draws inspiration from travels as far as Egypt and Burma and from observing details close to home: a coffee stain, for instance, can be seen as a stain, a map or a topography.” — BS

Bastienne Schmidt was born in Munich, Germany, and was raised in Greece and Italy. She studied anthropology at the University Ludwig-Maximilian Universitaet in Munich, Germany and graduated with a degree of Fine Arts from the University Accademia di Belli Arti, Perugia, Italy. She spent 10 years in New York, where she maintains a studio, before moving full time to Bridgehampton.

Schmidt’s work has been shown in over 100 exhibitions worldwide, including the New Museum, New York City; the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York; the Zimmerli Museum, New Brunswick, NJ; Museum fuer Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany; Musee de la Photographie, Charleroi, Belgium; Musee de Elysee, Lausanne, Switzerland; Ricco/Maresca Gallery and Throckmorton Gallery, New York City; Parrish Road Show, Sag Harbor, NY; Harpers Books and folioeast, East Hampton, NY; the Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX; Ille Arts, Amagansett, NY; Hamilton Gallery, London, England; Gallery Argus, Berlin, Germany.

Six monographs of her works have been published, among them Vivir la Muerte, American Dreams, Shadowhome, Home Stills, Topography of Quiet and Typology of Women.

Her work is also included in many collections: the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography in New York City; the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn NY; the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC; the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX; the Center for Creative Photography in Tuscon, AZ; Guild Hall in East Hampton, NY; the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX; the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, among others.

Bastienne Schmidt by Jaime Lopez

Bastienne Schmidt by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

BASTIENNE SCHMIDT speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND YOUR ARTWORK?

BS/ I combine the notion of traveling in real life and in my mind, searching and documenting divisions of space, markings and mappings as a reflection of a search for identity and place. I explore the subtle interaction between nature, process and imagination, creating systems and layers of meaning, through building up of surfaces and using recycled materials.

CM/ FROM WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR MAIN INSPIRATIONS?

BS/ Having grown up in four countries as the daughter of an archeologist, I primarily draw inspirations from my childhood in Greece. The colors blue and white have great meaning to me. I am also Inspired by the beauty and natural patterns and typologies that I’ve discovered on my travels in Egypt, Vietnam, Japan, and Burma. I trace with the camera, pencil and paintbrush the impact that our environment has on our imagination—and vice versa.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?

BS/ My studio is my sanctuary. We built our house (my husband, Philippe Cheng, is also an artist), with two adjoining studios. Our mantra as artists, parents and community members is is to live in a way that there is no separation between art and life. Our children were always integrated in our studio practice.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE FAVORITE ROUTINES?

BS/ I go to the beach for a morning walk to clear my mind and get ready for the day. It's like a daily meditation.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME?

BS/ Almond Zigmund, Philippe Cheng.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW 

JANICE STANTON

“Stanton’s photographs and collages, full of nuanced meaning, are beautifully balanced and compelling.”
— Coco Myers

“In all my work—collage and photography—I seek to create something revelatory. I am keenly interested in the interplay of words, textures, ideas and visual imagery. Drawing inspiration from the art and culture of locations around the world, my work addresses themes of memory, time and the human condition. The lines between photography, painting and collage are deliberately blurred in my abstract work, and compositions often extend beyond the ‘borders’ of the mat. Layering, negative space and the line are all elements that have both formal and metaphorical significance. Among the materials in my collages are found objects, pieces of my own photographs, calligraphy, and remnants of daily life.

------JS

Born in Montreal, Canada, Janice Stanton is based in New York City and Bridgehampton, New York.  After many years working in still photography, she began creating documentary films about artists. Her keen visual sense, along with an interest in composition and combining text and found materials led her to collage, her preferred medium.

In 2021, Stanton was selected for the Visiting Artists and Scholars Program at the American Academy in Rome.  She has studied at The Art Students League, the International Center of Photography, RISD, the School of Visual Arts, and in workshops with photographers Mary Ellen Mark, Sally Gall, and Peter Turnley among others.

Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and venues including Anders Wahlstedt Fine Art (NYC), where she was featured in a 2-person exhibition; the Art Students League (NYC); FolioEast locations on the East End; Black Box Gallery (Portland, OR); Memorial Sloan Kettering (NYC); The White Room Gallery (Bridgehampton); Guild Hall (Easthampton); The Art Barge (Napeague); and is also in many private collections.


Janice Stanton by Jaime Lopez

Janice Stanton by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

JANICE STANTON speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU USE IN YOUR COLLAGES?

JS/ In some cases, I begin creating a collage with one of my own photographs. My preferred materials are handmade paper, mesh, gauze, string and found materials. I am drawn to textures, semi-transparency and how the age and condition of materials contributes to the theme or mood of the work. Obsolete objects from daily life also find their way into my collages, lending a note of unexpected recognition or nostalgia.

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END? DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SEASON OUT HERE?

JS/ The East End has been my 'second home' since graduating from college. The light is nothing short of magic, and I couldn't live without the beach walks that I take throughout the year. I love the long days and sunsets of July, but I also love the 'off-season' and find it an even more creative time. Perhaps that is because my work happens when I'm indoors.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?

JS/ I have a studio space in Sagaponack and also in West Chelsea in NYC. I work indoors, surrounded by a vast array of collage materials.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE SPOTS ON THE EAST END THAT INSPIRE YOU?

JS/ Favorite places for walks and dinners with friends are the beaches, especially Gibson and Peter's Pond; and in the winter, I gravitate toward cozy spots with fireplaces. The Parrish and Longhouse Reserve are favorite cultural institutions.

CM/ DO YOU FEEL A CONNECTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST MOVEMENT ON THE EAST END?

JS/ Yes! It is probably my favorite period, period. It has had the single greatest influence on my eye and my aesthetic. I produced a documentary film about Grace Hartigan, who was part of that movement and knew many of the icons of the time; and I knew, personally, some of the other artists such as Jane Wilson.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS AT HOME? ANY PARTICULAR ARTIST THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE?

JS/ Yes. I have a large oil by Anne Raymond and many pieces by Victor Elmaleh. He lived in Bridgehampton and showed his work in the Hamptons and NYC. I would LOVE to have a de Kooning!

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of mixed media

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold photographs


BARBARA THOMAS

“Trees, fields, flowers . . . Thomas starts with elements pulled from nature, which she then interprets in a refreshingly original way.”
— Coco Myers

“The natural world is the inspiration for my drawing, painting and multi-media work. I use all of its visual forms—land, plants, flowers, animals, and natural phenomena, such as weather and the seasons. I assign metaphorical properties to the forms of nature, based on my personal reactions and interpretations of the way nature is viewed in the contemporary context—in terms of history, aesthetics, philosophy and politics.

My work begins with direct observation recorded in painting and photography. I create a story for myself that centers around anthropomorphized natural forms, likening and relating their experiences to human experience. Graphically manipulating colors, forms, and contexts, I give natural forms a new kind of life and new relationships, with each other, and with the manmade world.” — BT

Barbara Thomas grew up on a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, surrounded by artists. She began studying at age 15 at The Art Students' League, New York, under American Naturalist painter Edwin Dickinson (1891-1978). She went on to study at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, receiving her MFA at Lesley University, Boston, MA.

Thomas began her career as a commercial artist, art director and illustrator, and switched to painting full time in the early 1980s, inspired by her move to the East End of Long Island. She established a following as a house, garden, and property portraitist, with commissions from all over the world, but predominantly working in the Hamptons.

Her fine art has been shown at Ille Arts, Amagansett, NY; Estia Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Grenning Gallery, Rebecca Cooper Gallery and Canio’s Gallery, in Sag Harbor, NY; Elaine Benson Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Lizan Topps Gallery, East Hampton, NY; and Wally Findlay Gallery, New York, NY.

Thomas has taught and lectured extensively, including at the Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY. and at her studio in East Hampton, NY.

Barbara Thomas by Jaime Lopez

Barbara Thomas by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold painting

BARBARA THOMAS speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ HOW DO YOU TYPICALLY START TO CREATE?

BT/ Almost always using natural forms to begin ideas, I draw small sketches in my sketchbook. I use a lot of digital research, taking images from public domain, or using my own photographs, and playing with them in digital graphics. Then I use those as a base for creating images in more traditional mediums.

CM/ HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED ON THE EAST END?

BT/ My family began coming here in summers over fifty years ago. I then moved here full time when I was a young woman, raising my son here. I moved to New York City for a time, but then moved back about fifteen years ago.

CM/ HOW DOES THIS AREA INFLUENCE OR INFILTRATE YOUR WORK?

BT/ This is where I turned to art making full time (I had worked for ten years as an advertising art director). I was inspired by the beauty of the landscape, but I have always been a nature girl, and have always used nature themes in my work.

CM/ DOES THE TIME OF YEAR INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

BT/ The seasons play a key role in all my work. I don't differentiate them based on one better than the other. They all have a brilliance and distinct properties that find their way into my work.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK? IN A STUDIO SPACE, OUTSIDE, VARIED SPACES?

BT/ I have a studio in Springs, but I am also a plein air landscape painter, or I work outdoors abstractly, using the light and atmosphere of the landscape in my work.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO OUTDOORS?

BT/ I love Barcelona Point, and take my Parrish Art Museum plein air painting class out there every summer. A particular summer ritual is paddle boarding across Accabonac Harbor, out to the far side of Gerard Point, pull in, and go for a long swim.

CM/ DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST MOVEMENT ON THE EAST END?

BT/ Very much so. I live right near Jackson Pollock's house and studio, and near Willem de Kooning's studio as well. My work contains a lot of abstraction.

CM/ IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANYTHING, IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR EAST END ARTIST OR PIECE THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE?

BT/ I don't own one, but I loved Sheridan Lord, he was my mentor in my early painting years. I've always respected a lot of Terry Elkins' work. I wish I could have a Cile Downs painting.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

BARBARA THOMAS

“Trees, fields, flowers . . . Thomas starts with elements pulled from nature, which she then interprets in a refreshingly original way.”
— Coco Myers

“The natural world is the inspiration for my drawing, painting and multi-media work. I use all of its visual forms—land, plants, flowers, animals, and natural phenomena, such as weather and the seasons. I assign metaphorical properties to the forms of nature, based on my personal reactions and interpretations of the way nature is viewed in the contemporary context—in terms of history, aesthetics, philosophy and politics.

My work begins with direct observation recorded in painting and photography. I create a story for myself that centers around anthropomorphized natural forms, likening and relating their experiences to human experience. Graphically manipulating colors, forms, and contexts, I give natural forms a new kind of life and new relationships, with each other, and with the manmade world.” — BT

Barbara Thomas grew up on a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, surrounded by artists. She began studying at age 15 at The Art Students' League, New York, under American Naturalist painter Edwin Dickinson (1891-1978). She went on to study at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, receiving her MFA at Lesley University, Boston, MA.

Thomas began her career as a commercial artist, art director and illustrator, and switched to painting full time in the early 1980s, inspired by her move to the East End of Long Island. She established a following as a house, garden, and property portraitist, with commissions from all over the world, but predominantly working in the Hamptons.

Her fine art has been shown at Ille Arts, Amagansett, NY; Estia Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Grenning Gallery, Rebecca Cooper Gallery and Canio’s Gallery, in Sag Harbor, NY; Elaine Benson Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Lizan Topps Gallery, East Hampton, NY; and Wally Findlay Gallery, New York, NY.

Thomas has taught and lectured extensively, including at the Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY. and at her studio in East Hampton, NY.

Thomas in her studio

Thomas in her studio

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold painting

BARBARA THOMAS speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ HOW DO YOU TYPICALLY START TO CREATE?

BT/ Almost always using natural forms to begin ideas, I draw small sketches in my sketchbook. I use a lot of digital research, taking images from public domain, or using my own photographs, and playing with them in digital graphics. Then I use those as a base for creating images in more traditional mediums.

CM/ HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED ON THE EAST END?

BT/ My family began coming here in summers over fifty years ago. I then moved here full time when I was a young woman, raising my son here. I moved to New York City for a time, but then moved back about fifteen years ago.

CM/ HOW DOES THIS AREA INFLUENCE OR INFILTRATE YOUR WORK?

BT/ This is where I turned to art making full time (I had worked for 10 years as an advertising art director). I was inspired by the beauty of the landscape, but I have always been a nature girl, and have always used nature themes in my work.

CM/ DOES THE TIME OF YEAR INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

BT/ The seasons play a key role in all my work. I don't differentiate them based on one better than the other. They all have a brilliance and distinct properties that find their way into my work.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK? IN A STUDIO SPACE, OUTSIDE, VARIED SPACES?

BT/ I have a studio in Springs, but I am also a plein air landscape painter, or I work outdoors abstractly, using the light and atmosphere of the landscape in my work.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO OUTDOORS?

BT/ I love Barcelona Point, and take my Parrish Art Museum plein air painting class out there every summer. A particular summer ritual is paddle boarding across Accabonac Harbor, out to the far side of Gerard Point, pull in, and go for a long swim.

CM/ DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST MOVEMENT ON THE EAST END?

BT/ Very much so. I live right near Jackson Pollock's house and studio, and near Willem de Kooning's studio as well. My work contains a lot of abstraction.

CM/ IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANYTHING, IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR EAST END ARTIST OR PIECE THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE?

BT/ I don't own one, but I loved Sheridan Lord, he was my mentor in my early painting years. I've always respected a lot of Terry Elkins' work. I wish I could have a Cile Downs painting.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

CHARLES WALLER

“Charles Waller’s unique and artful assemblages of vintage objects are amusing, provocative or intellectual—sometimes all at once. ”
— Coco Myers

“My art is primarily inspired by antique objects or materials either found or purchased. On occasion this has required me to travel throughout Europe and the United States to find exactly what I need. When a particular object inspires me, I creat a theme and produce 20 or more pieces. This fashion of working comes from my earlier career as an illustrator for the New York Times, as well as variety of other publications. Each assignment would dictate several story ideas to be presented to the editor.  

This discipline has carried over to my fine art career. My affinity for the Surrealist movement, specifically Magritte, is evidenced in many of my creations.  However, texture, social commentary, sarcasm and humor play an enormous role in my work. My greatest satisfaction occurs when I watch a collector laugh and get the connection.  Then I’ve succeeded!  .” — CW

Charles Waller was born in California in 1954. He grew up in South America and London. He studied English Literature and Psychology at the University of London and illustration at the Royal College of Art for drawing, then he got his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. After college, Waller moved to New York City and began doing illustrations for the New York Times, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Esquire Magazine and other publications. 

Waller began making three-dimensional art when he moved to East Hampton in the early eighties.  His artwork has been included in numerous one-man shows at Morgan Rank Gallery, Lizan Tops Gallery and Ann Kolb Gallery in East Hampton, NY;  Pamela Williams Gallery in Amagansett, NY; Michael Perez Fine Art and Pacifico Fine Art in New York, NY, among others. He has exhibited in group shows including at RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY; Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY;  Southampton Cultural Center, Southampton, NY: Micro Museum, Brooklyn, NY;  Dai-Nippon Gallery, Tokyo, Japan; and Triangle Gallery, Calgary, Canada.  

Waller’s work is in the private collections of Donna Karan, Kirk Douglas, Barry Sonnenfeld, Tina Broccoli, among others. He has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, Boston University, Parsons School of  Design, School of Visual Arts and the Ross School. He lives and works in East Hampton..

Charles Waller by Jaime Lopez

Charles Waller by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

CHARLES WALLER speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT APPEALS TO YOU ABOUT ANTIQUE OBJECTS?

CW/ I have always loved antiques.Growing up in London, I began collecting at a very early age. Now when I find an object it inspires a chain reaction that ends up as a body of work with a central theme.Thus the hunt begins. I travel far and wide to find the perfect components to make my statement.

CM/ DO YOU SKETCH IDEAS OF YOUR ASSEMBLAGES BEFORE ACTUALLY COMBINING THE ELEMENTS?

CW/ I do all my sketches on legal pads. I like the lines and the fact that my stream of consciousness is not hindered by a precious little white sketchbook. It is not unusual to find me sitting on the ground in the middle of large flea market doodling away, oblivious to all around me.

CM/ WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU DO YOUR MOST OF YOUR WORK? ANY PARTICULAR WORK HABITS YOU COULD DESCRIBE?

CW/ I do most of my work in my studio when I’m not on the road searching for “stuff.”   I use power tools  as much as I use paint. I work in spurts, obsessive and with no distractions until my project is complete. Then when something catches my eye,  I start the whole process again.

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END? AND WHEN?  

CW/ I moved to the East End in the eighties, not to pursue an art career, since I already had one in New York City, but to pursue my love of all things water-related: fishing,sailing and surfing. I have rarely missed a sunset or a storm.The natural beauty here certainly refreshes my soul.

CM/ DO YOU FEEL INSPIRED BY THE HISTORY OF ART ON THE EAST END?  

CW/ One can not throw a rock out here without hitting an abstract expressionist.The artist community here is very strong.There is always a variety of art shows and events to keep you busy, as well as a diverse group of talented, kind and exceptional artists.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

DAN WELDEN

“A Welden print is unmistakable. His masterful use of color and abstract forms create a compelling presence in a room.”
— Coco Myers

“My work deals with ‘landscape’. It stems from the vision of a country hillside where animals walk or meander. The trodden pathways become obvious to the keen observer, whereas the grasses appear different under raking light. There is no regularity nor formality in these pathways, but the compositional patterns deal with a playful element that provide my foundation for color.

While creating these works, I sometimes put myself in the animals’ mindset, without concerns of anything else. I do not think, but simply allow my passion to experiment with brush, pencil or ink in full participation of “being” in the present.” — DW

Dan Welden was born in the Bronx and received his BA and MA at Adelphi University. His art education and training came from the Akademie der Bildenden Kunst in Munich, Germany. Welden is a master printmaker and the originator of a technique called Solarplate. He has been making prints and works on paper for over fifty years and has collaborated with many artists, including Robert Dash, Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Jimmy Ernst, Dan Flavin, William King, David Salle, and Eric Fischl, among many others. He has has led printmaking workshops around the world and has taught at several colleges in the New York area. He is a past president of the Society of American Graphic Artists and current director of Hampton Editions, Ltd. in Sag Harbor, Long Island, where he maintains a studio.

Dan Welden is the original pioneer of alternative health and safety oriented movement of printmaking and co-author of the book "Printmaking in the Sun.” He has collaborated with artists including Willem de Kooning, Kiki Smith, David Salle, Eric Fischl, Lynda Benglis, Jack Youngerman, Roy Nicholson, Kurt Vonnegut and Dan Flavin among many others.

His artistic span of over fifty years has brought him to international residencies, where he conducted lectures and workshops in 53 countries. With 92 solo exhibitions, including his paramount show at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, they have brought him a “Lifetime Achievement Award’ from A/E foundation in NY. He was also honored with "Professor Emeritus" at the Escuela de Belles Artes in Cuzco, Peru. Most recently, he is featured in the soon to be released, one hour documentary film “Lasting Impressions”.

Welden's work has been shown in over eighty international solo exhibitions in museums and galleries and over 700 group exhibitions in the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and Peru. Welden’s work is also in many public and private collections throughout the country including the Amity Art Foundation, Darien, CT; Baltimore Museum of Art, MD; Portland Museum of Art, OR; and Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, among many others.

Welden by Jaime Lopez

Welden by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

DAN WELDEN speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MEDIUMS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING IN??

DW/ Two dimensional works on paper. Also mixed media on canvas. I use pencils, ink, acrylics.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

DW/ My creative process revolves around experimentation, as opposed to concept. Materials, whatever they be, will dictate the formation of the composition. Usually, the work is bold at first and then refined and delicate towards its completion. Based primarily on nature and landscape, process can intervene.

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END?

DW/ Not one thing, but many things and many people. There was a huge void in printmaking, and the numbers of artists that called my name lured me towards the East End.

CM/ WHEN DO YOU FEEL MOST CREATIVE? IS THERE A SEASON YOU PREFER?

DW/ Winter is my favorite time because there are less people. There is no special creative time. Creativity is always within me.

CM/ YOU KNEW AND WORKED WITH MANY OF THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISTS OUT HERE. DO YOU FEEL A CONNECTION TO THIS PERIOD?

DW/ Absolutely yes.

CM/ WHICH ARTISTS’ WORK DO YOU LIVE WITH?

DW/ The East End artists that I have in my home are Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Eric Fischl, Dan Flavin, Jack Youngerman, Lynda Benglis, Kiki Smith, Roy Nicholson, Jimmy Ernst, David Salle, James Brooks, Esteban Vicente, Robert Gwathmey, Robert Dash, Kurt Vonnegut, and Bill King.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE OTHER PASSIONS?

DW/ My artwork is actually the second passion in my life, music being the first. Both are great vehicles for connecting to people.

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

ALMOND ZIGMUND

“Color, pattern and shape make Zigmund’s works stand out in a room. They have sculptural and graphic impact.”
— Coco Myers

“Combining geometry, vivid color, and intricate patterns, my drawings, sculptures, and installations often suggest walls, barricades, enclosures, and other aspects of the built environment. The work is architectonic in nature and tends to engage the eye and body at once.

When working on paper, or directly on the surfaces of existing architectural spaces, I frequently plot precise perspective points to demarcate volumes or plunge viewers into illusory realms.

I cull patterns from a number of architectural sources, both domestic and commercial and grant color a physical presence through the use of bold hues, granular flocking, and adhesive vinyl cutouts. Pattern often transcends its conventional role as embellishment and claims the ability to define forms and clarify spaces.“ — AZ

Almond Zigmund was raised in Brooklyn and received a BFA from Parsons School of Design, in both New York and Paris. She also earned an MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she studied art theory and criticism with MacArthur Award-winning critic Dave Hickey.

Zigmund’s work has been exhibited internationally for the past decade and a half. Solo exhibits and installations include: the Parrish Art Museum and the Watermill Center, Watermill, NY; The Drawing Room, East Hampton, NY; Salomon Contemporary Collective Design Fair, New York, NY; Tall Wall Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Ibel Gallery, Columbus, OH; Dust Gallery, Las Vegas, NV; among others.

She currently divides her time between Brooklyn and East Hampton, NY.

Almond Zigmund by Jaime Lopez

Almond Zigmund by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

ALMOND ZIGMUND speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ HOW DO YOU START THINKING ABOUT A PIECE? DO YOU BEGIN WITH THE IDEA OF A SHAPE OR A PATTERN?

AZ/ A piece for me takes shape as a thought or vision of a thing that I want to see. The vision might be a fully formed idea (material, color, form) or it may be one of those with the other pieces having to be filled in. The work comes to fruition through the making and the doing.

CM/ HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A PIECE IS DONE?

AZ/ At some point the original idea is overtaken by the fact of the thing itself and that’s what I start reacting to to get the piece to the point where I can call it finished.

CM/ HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY MAKE THE SCULPTURAL WORK? IS IT ALWAYS OUT OF FOAM?

AZ/ Much of the sculpture I make is out of wood. I collect material that is readily available to me, scraps from the dumpsters that the ubiquitous development that surrounds us in this part of the world affords me. The foam pieces came out of this practice, as did the cardboard.

CM/ ANYTHING TO ADD ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

AZ/ I think the idea of creativity is a mythology—making art is hard work and mostly about just showing up and working and doing it again the next day.

CM/ DO YOU OWN WORK BY ANY EAST END ARTISTS?

AZ/ Yes. Bastienne Schmidt, Philippe Cheng, Bob Wilson, Saskia Friedrich, Sabra Moon Eliot.

PORTFOLIO PREVIEW