Franz Walderdorff

“There’s a serenity to Walderdorf’s work, as well as a painterly quality that makes the work feel sensual. He presents the natural world with his particular artistry.”
— Coco Myers

“My primary subject is beauty. I spend long hours on the beach observing, watching and studying. I see the ocean and sky as continuously changing colors and movement, set into a rhythm of geometric forms, and the people on the beach not as people but as ever evolving shapes. To me, the world is one big canvas and the camera is my instrument to transform the visual into a photographic painting of ever-shifting color and light. My images are never planned, capturing rather a distinct moment in time that is impossible to reconstruct.” - FW

Franz Walderdorff, considers himself an artist who uses photography. His works suggest watercolor—more like products of pigment and wash. They are abstracted visions of the natural world and the everyday: sun, sand, sea, and bathers on the beach. Walderdorff’s photographs often make us wonder what we are looking at: what scale, what location? Where we see sky or sand he sees continuously changing color and movement.

Walderdorff was born in Munich, Germany in 1961 and studied photography at the Lazi school in Stuttgart. After graduating, he moved to Hamburg to work with the photographer Werner Bokelberg, from whom he learned advertising, portrait and beauty photography. In 1986 Walderdorff moved to New York City. After several years of working with photographers like Bruce Weber and Denis Piel, he was picked up by the legendary Carrie Donovan and started shooting for the New York Times Magazine.

Walderdorff’s work has been widely published in Allure, Spanish and Chinese Vogue, Italian, British and German Glamour, among other magazines. He was on contract with Allure for 22 years. He has widely exhibited his pictures in North America as well as Europe. In 2010, Walderdorff moved to Southampton, New York with his wife and two daughters. He dedicates most of his time now to creating art photography and shooting portraits.

Shinnecock, 2012, photograph, 30 x 20 in, edition of 10

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

FRANZ WALDERDORFF speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHEN DID YOU START PHOTOGRAPHY? WHAT LED YOU TO IT?

FW/ My father gave me a camera for my 15th birthday. Maybe he thought that would keep me out of trouble. I started experimenting with it right away. I’d walk around the neighborhood in Frankfurt where I grew up and take pictures of anything that captured my attention. A year later I set up a dark room in our basement. I loved being able to process and print everything myself.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE AN ART BACKGROUND/SCHOOLING?

FW/ I studied photography for 2 years in Stuttgart, Germany. Everything else I know I learned through experience.

CM/ HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE SUBJECT MATTER YOU CHOSE?

FW/ Before I started my art photography I was a beauty photographer. So everything I do is connected to beauty. The ocean to me is the most beautiful and serene place there is. So what I do now is really an extension of what I have always done.

CM/ YOU ARE DRAWN TO THE COEAN—BOTH IN YOUR SEASCAPES AND THE BATHER SERIES. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE SEA THAT INSPIRES YOU?

FW/ I love movement. I am not a still life photographer. The ocean is never still. It is tremendously powerful, an ever changing seascape of color. And I see the people on the beach as shapes. Not as people.

CM/ DO YOU ENHANCE YOUR PHOTOS IN ANY WAY? TALK ABOUT THE EFFECTS YOU CREATE OF A ‘PAINTING’

FW/ Yes, just like the old masters would spend hours in the dark room, I spend a lot of time on the computer. I draw my inspiration from abstract painters. The bathers series are collages put together from from different photographs. For my Connections series most of the work happens in the camera but often I combine two or more images to make it one art piece.

CM/ WHEN DID YOU COME TO THE EAST END AND WHY?

FW/  We’d had house on Shelter Island since 1990 where we would go for weekends. In 2000, when our oldest daughter started kindergarten, we decided to move to Sag Harbor full time. We wanted a more relaxed life for the children.

CM/ YOU WORK MOSTLY LARGE-SCALE, WHY? 

FW/ I think my work lends itself to being large scale. I am conveying the vastness of nature. It has a much bigger impact.

CM/ WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO KEEP MAKING ART?

FW/ There is nothing better. I have never done anything else professionally other then take pictures. As long as I can create new work I will keep on doing it.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

SHARI ABRAMSON

“A gorgeous palette combines with strength of brush stroke in Abramson’s lush and poetic abstracts. ”
— Coco Myers

“My work relies upon the moment I leave my interpretations behind

remembering to leave the window open

the wind feels warm upon my cheek

the sun upon my eyes

summons the light” — SA

Shari Abramson was born and raised in Queens, New York and attended the High School of Music and Art. She got her BA in art history from SUNY at Stony Brook, where she studied under Lawrence Alloway, and her MA in Art Education at New York University, NY. She was a model and friend of Raphael Soyer.

Abramson has taught art in New York City and in Southampton, NY schools, as well as privately in her East Hampton, NY studio. Her work has been exhibited at Spainerman Gallery; folioeast, Arlene Bujesi, and the Ross School Gallery, East Hampton, NY; Silas Marder Gallery, and Kathryn Markel Fine Arts Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Ashawagh Hall, Amagansett, NY; the Southampton Cultural Center, Southampton, NY: and the James Chapel Gallery, New York, NY, among other galleries.

Shari Ambramson by Jaime Lopez

Shari Ambramson by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

SHARI ABRAMSON speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU USE AND WHY?

SA/ Many: Oil, canvas, paper, graphite, ink, pastel, newspaper, gouache, photo transfer, cardboard, and found objects. These materials give me the diversity I need to to form the image I am compelled to express.

CM/ CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW YOU WORK?

SA/ In the studio I listen to music, paint, print, assemble and watch, looking and eliminating what does not work and keeping what does. Then look again. Continuing this practice until it sits right.

CM/ WHY THE EAST END? WHEN DID YOU MOVE HERE?

SA/ My husband and I came here twenty-five years ago. We wanted to be near the ocean and raise our children here. Its beauty surrounds all I do. The East End holds the beauty of the early sunrise over the bay and the setting sun through the trees. And the changes which occur through the day and night hours.

CM/ DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE HISTORY OF ART ON THE EAST END?

SA/ I see myself in the lineage of the East End artists. The women who created, a stones throw from my home and studio, saw the same sky, water, land and air that I am living with.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME? IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANYTHING, IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR ARTIST OR PIECE THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE?

SA/ I have Burt Glynn, Arnold Rosenberg, Kryn Olson, Roisin Bateman, Camille Perrottet, Gabriele Raacke, Sally Egbert, Bob Golden. Would like Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Conrad Marca-Relli, Don Lenzer.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

ROISIN BATEMAN

“With thin veils of oil or a fine dusting of pastels, Bateman’s paintings—inspired by horizon lines—create a natural landing place for the eye.”
— Coco Myers

“I grew up in the wild and magical landscape of the west coast of Ireland. The qualities of that landscape with its ever-shifting texture of sea and sky, small rocky fields and hawthorn bushes bent by winter gales, live within me as inner landscape. The continually changing weather—dark moody skies with rolling clouds, which can at any moment give way to a sudden burst of sunlight—bring everything into a heightened state of color and aliveness.

In my oils and pastels, I explore the metamorphic effects of weather upon the landscape. I am intrigued by the way color changes –how it manifests itself and dissipates as elements meet and cross. Working with thin veils of oil, or a fine dust of pastel, which can be rubbed in and lifted off, allows me to explore such an ephemeral subject.

The landscape of eastern Long Island, where I currently live and work, is of a very different quality. Its texture is much more light-reflective – large expanses of sandy shore and flat farmland. The juxtaposition of these two environments creates a tension and a balancing of forces, which provide a very rich soil from which to create new form and expression.” — RB

Roisin Bateman began her life and her art in the west of Ireland. After receiving her BFA from Belfast College of Art in Northern Ireland, she moved to the USA. For the past thirty years she has lived in Sag Harbor on the South Fork of Long Island.

Bateman’s paintings, prints, and pastel works have been shown throughout the US and Ireland, including at the Peter Marcelle Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; folioeast, East Hampton, NY; the Watermill Center and Sara Nightingale Gallery, Watermill, NY; the Nabi Gallery, Manhattan; at the Heckscher Museum, Huntington, NY; and the Linenhall Gallery in Castlebar, Ireland.


Roisin Bateman by Jaime Lopez

Roisin Bateman by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

ROISIN BATEMAN speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU WORK IN BOTH OIL AND PASTEL? WHY BOTH?

RB/ I like oil paint, for it richness of color. I like to build up layers using thin veils of color, and oil is an excellent medium for that. Pastel, which is really like colored dust, and so easily blended and worked into, is an ideal medium to explore the play of elements, and the sudden transformations that can happen in nature.  

CM/ HOW DO YOU BEGIN A PAINTING?

RB/ I empty my mind of thoughts and listen. Through a process of listening and responding, a painting grows organically out of that conversation. I just keep following some kind of invisible thread and it's always a surprise where it leads.

CM/ YOU WERE BORN AND RAISED IN IRELAND. HOW DOES THIS AREA RELATE TO YOUR HOMELAND?

RB/ I've always lived by the shore, and can't imagine life without my daily pilgrimage to look at the changing light on the water. It inspires me endlessly. Even though my work is abstract, much of my inspiration comes from landscape, and weather as a shapeshifter in that landscape.

CM/ YOU WORK IN A STUDIO MOSTLY, YES?  

RB/ I have a studio on my property in Sag Harbor village where I do most of my work. Occasionally I set up a temporary studio when I travel to Ireland or other places that inspire me.

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

RB/ Barcelona Neck is a favorite walking spot, because it has a rocky shore and is full of texture, which remind me of the coastline of the west of Ireland were I grew up. The ocean inspires me in a different way—a vast expanse of open sea and sand, it speaks to me and spaciousness the vastness—it's full of possibility.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

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 also on view at The Edward Albee Foundation in New York City, and 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 paintings

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 generater 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 paintings

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold drawings

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

PERRY BURNS

 
“In paintings that pop with pattern and color, Burns merges Islamic-inspired shapes with expressive elements of abstraction.”
— Coco Myers

“Growing up in Greenwich, Connecticut in the seventies, I had the good fortune to travel to Beirut, Lebanon at the age of 13. My uncle was a naval attaché stationed there. He was a very gregarious man and he knew everybody, from street cleaners to diplomats to the Prime Minister. Together we would walk the streets. Beirut was a virtual orgy of the senses. The colors of the people in all manners of dress, the architecture, ornament, craft and culture, the smells wafting from restaurants and street vendors, the sounds of different languages and calls to prayer were so unlike everything I had known in Greenwich. The experience left an indelible impression.

Yet it wasn’t until years later, when I traveled again to Eastern and Islamic countries, that I began to incorporate the sensibility of those cultures into my artwork. I also find inspiration in the nature of the East End—the reflections of the water, the play of sunlight through the fog, and the colors of the sky at ‘the magic hour’ all make their way into even the most abstract of my paintings. For me, however, painting is not the reproduction of nature as much as the dynamism of visual forces. I do not want to reproduce the visible, I want to create an experience of perception.” — PB

Perry Burns was born in New York in 1965. He received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1988.

Burns has lived on the East End of Long Island for the past twenty-five years and has exhibited widely in the area and beyond. His solo shows include: Cheryl Hazan Gallery, New York; ARC Fine Arts, Larchmont, NY; the Islip Art Museum; the Scope Art Fair in London; Sara Nightingale Gallery in Watermill, NY; Lizan Tops Gallery in East Hampton, NY; and Comerford Hennessey in Bridgehampton, NY. Group shows include: Ille Arts and Neoteric Fine Art, Amagansett, NY; Silas Marder Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; the Artists Chose Artists show at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, NY.; Guild Hall, folioeast and Spanierman Gallery, East Hampton,NY; Spainerman Modern in New York; ArtAspen and ArtHamptons.

Perry Burns in his studio by Jaime Lopez

Perry Burns in his studio by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

PERRY BURNS speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU ARE KNOWN FOR YOUR OIL PAINTINGS. WHY OIL?

PB/ I find it to be the richest, vibrant and most versatile medium. I build up layers of oil paint, sometimes as many as fifteen to twenty, then strip the painting back using sanders, scrapers, etc. to reveal previous layers and thus, the "history" of the painting.

CM/ ARE YOU INSPIRED OR INFLUENCED BY THE HISTORY OF THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST MOVEMENT ON THE EAST END?

PB/ Yes, my first studio out here was across the street from the Pollock/Krasner house, and in the neighborhood of Willem de Kooning. I had been studying the abstract expressionists for years and was very influenced by them, though I eventually moved toward other elements in my painting, also being influenced by Islamic art and its sense of history, time, pattern, and repetition.

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

PB/ I have works by Donald Baechler, Richmond Burton, and Yung Jake, all of whom used to live on the East End, as well as Darlene Charneco, Alice Hope, Philippe Cheng, and Margaret Garrett, all of whom I love.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

PHILIPPE CHENG

“Cheng’s beautifully blurred images of landscapes are evocative, meditative, and restorative.”
— Coco Myers

“My photographs of the East End of Long Island are personal interpretations of a landscape that derives its beauty and power from the earth’s palate and ever-changing seasons.

I seek to evoke a mood rather than capture the minute visual details of a particular view, so I will manipulate the camera, shifting the focus plane, to create scenes that are deliberately blurred. The photographs are dominated by intense color and a gentle abstraction.

The horizon, the sea, the sand and the beach grass of Long Island all make their appearances, but in dreamlike forms, inviting the viewer to share my personal connection with the landscape.” — PC

Philippe Cheng was born and raised in New York City and educated at The School of Visual Arts and New York University. In the early 1990’s he worked at Magnum Photos, assisting photographers Gilles Peress, Inge Morath, Erich Hartmann and Eve Arnold.. He currently maintains a studio in New York City and in Bridgehampton, New York, where he does both commercial and fine art photography.

Cheng’s fine art photography is included in many private collections. He is the winner of the Heckscher Museum’s 2014 and 2016 Long Island Biennial.

Philippe Cheng by Jaime Lopez

Philippe Cheng by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

PHILIPPE CHENG speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU HAVE DEVELOPED A SIGNATURE STYLE WITH YOUR BLURRED PHOTOGRAPHS. WHAT’S BEHIND THIS?

PC/ My process simply really about translating and interpreting feelings to a surface. Technique, although interesting unto itself, is a means to an end. What really interests me are the feelings of a moment, of a place, of a line… A color field or gesture that can elicit an emotion.

CM/ DID THIS PROCESS EVOLVE FROM MORE TRADITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY?

PC/ Many other parts of my creative life are done “in focus.” In fact, when I first started photographing here the images were in focus, but while beautiful, they did not speak to the emotion of being this place, in this air and light.

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

PC/ Where to begin?

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

PC/ Every season presents an opportunity and the understanding of the East End light is an evolving process.

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

PC/ There is a wealth of this all here, so the answer depends on the moment, the season, the company… The short answer is no favorite, only surprised to find places that are around the corner without knowing they existed so close.

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

PC/ Self-explanatory in that it is inescapable.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

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

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 photographs

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 PHOTOGRAPHY

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

PETER DAYTON

“Colors pop, surfaces gleam...Peter Dayton’s artwork, whether two or three-dimensional, radiates an electric energy.”
— Coco Myers

“I have always been an artist. I know that because my earliest memories of school were of teachers who would bring it to my attention and tell my parents too. I always felt like I had to be making art. 

I think my idea of art is different from a lot of other artists in that I express myself in a neo-pop sort of way and reference other artists while concentrating on issues of surface and beauty. I try to stay outside of it. I keep my hand out of my work too and frequently use found photographic images of flowers and the look of the Xerox as I print the pictures and degrade the image. My work looks to me more like signage or posters, and it  often has a commercial aspect to it that subverts the idea of fine art, yet strives to be beautiful and rewarding to the eye of the viewer.” — PD

Peter Dayton was born in New York City in 1955. He  got a BFA from Tufts University, attended art schools in Europe in the 1970’s and finished with a degree and diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While at The Museum School he studied video and performance art and started pursuing music as an art project. After art school, he pursued music professionally, first in the punk rock band La Peste, then under his own name. He got back into visual art in 1988 and began showing brightly-colored flower collages, using photocopied images from seed catalogues that referenced Pop Art and Andy Warhol. In the last several years he has been making paintings on vertical plywood panels that mimic the brightly colored surfaces of surfboards that critique and explore commodity culture.  

Dayton has exhibited in numerous galleries in the US and abroad, including the Eric Firestone Gallery, The Leiber Museum, and Glen Horrowitz, East Hampton; the Parrish Art Museum, Southampton; Devin Borden Hiram Butler, Houston; and Morris-Healey Gallery, Los Angelos, Miami, and Basel, Switzerland. Solo shows include Winston Wachter, New York City; the Collective Design Fair, New York, NY; the Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, and the Drawing Room, East Hampton, NY.  

He has also collaborated on numerous commercial and residential projects with the architect Peter Marino, including the elevator interiors in New York and Los Angles for Chanel and many other projects for Chanel boutiques worldwide. Dayton’s works are held in several private and public collections of Philip Morris & Co., New York as well as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Guild Hall Museum, East Hampton, NY.  

He lives and works in East Hampton, New York.

Peter Dayton by Jaime Lopez

Peter Dayton by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

PETER DAYTON speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ What brought you to the East End? And when? 

PD/ My mother and stepfather moved to East Hampton in 1975. I would come out as a teenager in the early seventies with friends and go to the bluffs in Montauk .…no one around really back then. I decided to move here in1988 after art school and eleven years pursuing punk rock/new wave music professionally. I returned to making art and have been doing that ever since. 

CM/How does this area influence or infiltrate your work? 

PD/ Reflecting on nature is something thats very important to me. I marvel at the water and sky here every day.

CM/ Is there a running thread throughout your work?

PD/ I reference photography in almost all of my art. 

CM/ What materials do you primarily use? 

PD/ The usual …acrylic, resin, paper canvas etc. I have really very simple approach to making something. I like it to go quickly….speed is an important part of it sometimes.

CM/ Can you briefly describe your creative process, including any special or unusual techniques that you use in your art?   

PD/ My process is simple. I enter the studio and take a hard look around. It’s a mess and it’s hard to decide what to do. I usually just pick up where I left off or I’ll have a flash of an new idea and i get right into it.

CM/ Do you draw inspiration or have a connection to the history of the abstract expressionist movement on the East End? 

PD/ I do. I feel it. I live a mile or two from where Pollock and de Kooning lived and worked. The works that were made out here and elsewhere by the abstract expressionists are still an inspiration for me. In fact, I am exploring abstraction in a way that I have not before and to me it’s coming from the world we live in right now. Reality has taken a toll on me and I’ve been feeling all mixed up as most people I know do currently. I want to express that now.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

JAMES DEMARTIS

“DeMartis brings out the warmth and beauty of metal, making highly crafted sculpture, often with a touch of wit.”
— Coco Myers

“My work is inspired by the age-old craft of blacksmithing and reflects both hands–on finesse and machined precision. Texture, color and beauty are the emblems of my craftsmanship. Metal is my medium because of the vast possibilities of form and function. Metal can defy expectations, evolving through blacksmithing, welding or fabrication from cold static bars and sheets to shapes that capture various aspects of nature. My aim is to create works that bring to life all of the properties and characteristics of metal that continually fascinate and engage me.” — JD

James DeMartis was born in Brooklyn and raised in Westchester county. He began working with metals, both steel and iron, at C.W. Post College on Long Island and has been sculpting and custom crafting architectural metal with welder, torch and forge for over 30 years. In 2001 he opened his custom architectural metal, blacksmithing and sculpture business James DeMartis Metal Studio, in East Hampton, NY.

His commercial work includes custom designs for restaurants, hotels and retail spaces in the Hamptons and NYC, including 11 Madison Park, Nick & Toni’s, The 1770 House, The Peninsula Hotel, The Greenwich Hotel, Oliver Peoples and David Yurman.

His sculpture has been exhibited at Guild Hall, folioeast, Arlene Bujese, Butler’s Fine Art, and Ashawagh Hall, East Hampton, NY; Galley Merz, Sag Harbor; Nightengale Gallery, Watermill, NY; Bellport Lane Gallery, Bellport, NY; Excalibur Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; and Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY.

DeMartis by Jaime Lopez

DeMartis by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

JAMES DEMARTIS speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHY IS METAL YOUR MEDIUM OF CHOICE?

JD/ When hot, it's plastic and malleable and when it cools, it's rigid, structural and permanent. I like the dichotomy between process and result, as well as the physicality of creation.

CM/ HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS OF CREATING A SCULPTURE?

JD/ I like to have a basis for a sculpture, an idea or design and from its conception to completion I allow for spontaneity and improvisation. I enjoy experimentation while realizing the vision in my mind's eye. I use extreme heat to melt and manipulate metal and I love to combine disparate materials like wood, glass and stone to create tension or balance.

I am less wedded to style than I am to realizing emotion. Impulse and instinct govern materials, craft, composition and subject.

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

JD/ 1992. I answered an ad in The Village Voice for a sculptor's assistant position. I had never heard of the Hamptons and I was smitten at once. I moved out two weeks later, never looked back and found my home here.

CM/ AND HOW DOES THIS AREA IMPACT YOUR ART?

JD/ My surroundings influence my work as air fills my lungs. There is great beauty, but also extremes in weather and class. The disparity of wealth between the highly affluent, the service industry, and the local bonackers and their traditions results in tension, irony and humor which manifests itself throughout my work.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR METAL WORK?

JD/ I rent a studio 2.5 miles from my home. I'm there six days per week sculpting and making custom architectural commissions.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY OTHER SCULPTORS IN YOUR HOME?

JD/ I love my Paul Pavia, Don Saco and Dennis Leri sculptures.

MICHELE D'ERMO

“D’Ermo’s paintings pull you into a sea of color, creating an environment of pure sensation.”
— Coco Myers

“My paintings hover on the edge of abstraction and are more remembered sensations than direct observations of nature.  

I strive to create poetic environments with the use of organic shapes and saturated surfaces, establishing vistas with minimal imagery. The reduction of details and unoccupied spaces on the canvas bring the imagery closer to the viewers so they can fall further into the painting, pulling them in through color, form and scale. My landscapes can be seen as architecture, in which exterior spaces are read more as interiors.

Painting is my response to the timeless beauty found in the natural world. Art and nature both rely on impulse; I allow my work to be uninhibited, reaching for what lies beneath the surface. I paint as a personal response to what moves me.” — MD

Michele D’Ermo was born in Miami Beach, Florida and spent most of her childhood in Washington DC. She now divides her time between her studios in New York City and East Hampton.

D’Ermo is a self-taught artist whose education in art was an organic process that grew out of observation and early childhood experiences traveling throughout Europe. Her paintings continue to reflect these early impressions as she records her observations of the natural world. As an adult, she studied at the Arts Student League and the New York Academy of Arts.  

D'Ermo's work has been exhibited widely in museums, art fairs and galleries in New York City and on the East End. She has had solo exhibits at the Peter Marcelle Gallery, Southampton, NY, and the 1stdibs Gallery at the New York Design Center. Her work has been in group shows at Silas Marder Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Guild Hall Museum, Lizan Tops, and folioeast, East Hampton, NY; Ashawagh Hall, Amagansett, NY; the Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY; Elisa Contemporary Arts, Salmagundi Club, and Cheryl Hazen Gallery, New York, NY; North Haven Gallery, North Haven, Maine and Scope at Art Basel, Miami, FL.  D'Ermo often collaborates with interior designers and architects on special projects and commissions and her work is included in many private and public collections.

Michelle D’Ermo by Jaime Lopez

Michelle D’Ermo by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

MICHELE D’ERMO speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU PAINT WITH OILS ON LINEN. WHY?

MD/ The luminosity of oils and the freedom to layer and conceal or highlight are all within the power of a brushstroke. Linen because it allows for more light to be captured due to its varieties of natural textures and colors.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION TO PAINT NATURE, HOWEVER ABSTRACTED?

MD/ Inspiration of the natural world was said by Dante to be the art of God. This is not to say that my motivation is restricted to the natural world, rather that although my paintings have reference to the landscape, seascape, weather or natural light, my work remains grounded in visual experience.

CM/ YOU SEEM TO LOVE BLUE. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE COLOR?

MD/ I have been struck for decades by the beautiful color of the sea, the sky as well as the vastness of the color itself. Ultramarine tastes of the ocean—Italians refer to it as "from beyond the seas." Indigo is like ultramarine in that it refers to where the color historically comes from, rather than what the substance actually is.

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END?

MD/ My love of nature and freedom from the confines of New York City brought me here years ago. The East End also retains a strong artistic identity and traditions that I hold close to my heart.

CM/ SO YOU FEEL CONNECTED TO THE LEGACY OF THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISTS?

MD/ History plays a large part. Powerful art was created here at that time. Abstraction allowed for artists to be at a distance from the material world. This was a juxtaposition to the motivations and psyche of New York City. The East End represented freedom of expression.


CM/ DO YOU DO MOST OF YOUR WORK IN YOUR STUDIO?

MD/ I am an observer of my environment so most of the time I am watching and listening to my surroundings. At times I create on the spot as in a nighttime landscape but most often I go to my studio and paint with my emotional  memory of my visual experiences.  That’s where the work actually occurs.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW



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

SCOTT FARRELL

“Farrell’s abstracted photographs appear to be painterly landscapes—which is the beauty and surprise of them. His ethereal, figurative photos are equally captivating.”
— Coco Myers

“My photography can best be described as an art of observation. Whether the subject matter is abstracted landscapes or seascapes, flora or figurative, I make a conscious effort to look past the obvious to expose what is often overlooked. My “alternative landscapes” are found in both natural environs and on man-made substrates such as concrete walls, glass panes and on fiberglass, wood and steel hulls. Much of my figurative or representational work is approached from an abstract perspective, with a desire and intent to present the obvious in a somewhat more interesting light.” — SF

Farrell was born in Englewood, NJ and graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University. After 22 years working in the media industry, he started a custom, fine-art printing business and began his photography career, taking pictures of what he calls “alternative landscapes.” His work has been exhibited at William Ris Gallery in Jamesport, NY, The Weathered Barn in Greenport, Collier West in Park Slope, Brooklyn, the Stanek Gallery in Philadelphia, PA, and folioeast, East Hampton, NY.

A resident of Huntington, Farrell spends much of his time photographing along the North Fork, as well as favorite locations from Fire Island to Montauk.

Scott Farrell by Jaime Lopez

Scott Farrell by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

SCOTT FARRELL speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK? MOSTLY OUTSIDE?

SF/ Most of my work time is spent outside exploring, observing and shooting. The rest of the time I’m sitting in front of my iMac, running prints and cutting mats. I also have an additional working space in the basement—our seldom used ping pong table comes in extremely handy for laying out work.

CM/ DOES THE LANDSCAPE OF THE EAST END INFLUENCE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?

SF/ Water, the coastline and beaches have always had a major influence and a huge part of my photographic art. My grandparents lived in Valley Stream so we'd be out on Long Island quite often—especially in summer as my grandfather had a fishing boat at Point Lookout.

CM/ HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CREATING IMAGES THAT LOOK SO MUCH LIKE PAINTINGS? DO YOU ALTER THEM?

SF/ No, I don't manipulate my images in any attempt to transform them into something they are not. I absolutely love using a camera because it allows me to capture observations and discoveries exactly as I see them.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR OUT HERE?

SF/ Winter is, by far and without question, my favorite time of the year on the East End. It's quiet, uncrowded, and the light, tones and textures of the season are so unique and inspiring to me. Also, when it's cold outside I'm less likely to be distracted by gardening and yard work, so I'm certainly more productive from an artistic standpoint.

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

SF/ I've recently begun to acquire some East End artists' works. My first was a gift from Greenport photographer Michael Edelson. I also have a painting from Ty Stroudsburg entitled "Orient," a beautiful piece that I feel so fortunate to own.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

FRANCINE FLEISCHER

“Fleischer has an eye for balance and harmony; her photos are an elegant and artful interpretation of nature.”
— Coco Myers

“I am historically a portraitist. Having grown up in New York City, surrounded by an extraordinary human landscape, I turned to people as my subject of choice. Later in life, when I moved out to the east end of Long Island, I turned my lens to the nature around me—the water, the architecture of nests, the flora and fauna. I approach them all as portraits, finding human characteristics within their shapes and textures. ” — FF

Francine Fleischer was born in New York City in 1960 and spent most of her summers in Paris. She received her BFA in painting and photography at SUNY Purchase and pursued Media Studies at New York University. After graduating, she worked as a first camera assistant and printer to Annie Leibovitz, Kelly Klein and Michel Comte.

Francine’s work is in numerous collections and has been exhibited widely, including at Tanto Tempo Gallery, Kobe, Japan; Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago; Pictura Gallery, Bloomington, Indiana; Photo Off, Paris; Finn Galley, Greenwich, Connecticut; Sara Nightingale Gallery, Watermill, NY; folioeast, East Hampton, NY; and Ille Arts, Amagansett. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, such as Vanity Fair, Italian Vogue, British Elle, Russian Architectural Digest, Conde Nast Traveler, and Esquire. Her commercial clients have included Armani Exchange, Bloomingdales, Mercedes Benz and Starwood Hotels.

She lives and works in Sag Harbor, NY.

Fleischer by Jaime Lopez

Fleischer by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

FRANCINE FLEISCHER speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU PHOTOGRAPH NATURE QUITE A LOT, AS WITH THE BIRDS’ NESTS AND SWANS SERIES. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO THOSE SUBJECTS?

FF/ Historically, my subjects were people oriented. Either portraits, fashion or beauty and then came the addition of gardens. When I moved out east, I turned my lens to the amazing nature around me. I approached it all as portraiture.

CM/ DO YOU SET OUT WITH AN IDEA IN MIND OF WHAT YOU’LL SHOOT THAT DAY?

FF/ If I've started a series, then I set out with specific intentions and it becomes a hunting expedition. I get so much gratification when I find the next piece of the puzzle. When I am not working on a specific series or idea, I head out with wide eyes and an open mind.

CM/ IS THERE A SCALE YOU PREFER TO WORK IN?

FF/ The scale is totally determined by the subject and the texture. There is a temptation to go big; however, some things are best viewed intimately.

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

FF/ My husband needed to live near the ocean and I needed to live near my husband. We moved out here in 2000.

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

FF/ The light, space, rhythms of nature all play into my work. There is also an enormous and vibrant creative energy out here.

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

FF/ Yes. My current favorite is a Carolyn Conrad piece. And of course a fabulous Mark Webber sculpture on our lawn.

CM/ ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS OR WHERE YOU SEE YOUR ART GOING?

FF/ I am always open to new concepts while still revisiting old ones. Some series are ongoing for years… not looking to resolve them but instead, to continue the conversation.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

DENISE GALE

“You see and feel the energy in Gale’s dynamic abstract paintings. She’s a painter’s painter, expressing herself through stroke, color and movement. ”
— Coco Myers

“I have been an artist my entire life. After so many years, I am still in love with painting. It beguiles me. I am intrigued with a blank canvas and fascinated with paint. Moving paint around to make a language…this is the most important part of my painting; the rest is all about color, perspective, size, and composition. I have been schooled with the formal elements and sometimes they work successfully and sometimes they do not. The essence of my paintings I really cannot define. It is almost like meditation because the  world can drop away and I can invent my own.” — DG

Denise Gale was born and raised in St.Louis, Mo. In 1967 she moved to Los Angeles and attended Valley Community College and then California State College Northridge, where she studied with Fidel Danieli and Peter Plagens.  

After graduating she moved into a loft in downtown Pasadena, where she became part of a tight knit art community. She had her first show at age 26. 

Gale has exhibited widely across the country.  Solo shows include Ille Arts, Amagansett, NY; The Painting Center and the Mercer Gallery, New York, NY; the Janus Gallery, Newspace Gallery and the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA.  She has show in group shows at the Penine Hart Gallery and Mokotoff Gallery, New York, NY; Jan Cicero Gallery, Chicago; The Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA; Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA: and the Carol Shapiro Gallery, St. Louis, MO, among others. 

Denise Gale by Jaime Lopez

Denise Gale by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

DENISE GALE talks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END?  

DG/ I came to the east end because of a strong desire to live near  nature. Since college, I’d always lived in lofts and in cities.  I wanted to be around trees and open sky and the ocean. How lucky to be here—and I never take it for granted.  One of the most beautiful experiences  is to hear and see the geese in their formations going south for the winter.

CM/ YOUR PAINTINGS ARE SO EXPRESSIVE AND GESTURAL. DO YOU AGREE?

DG/ Gestural strokes and movement are a language. I am creating a world, communicating with with color, paint, and texture. It is my world and I am showing a part of me that is very deep inside.

CM/ WHAT INSPIRES YOU ABOUT ABSTRACT PAINTING?

DG/ I really think  that I have had a genetic predisposition towards abstract painting. My parents took me to Washington University Art Gallery when I was young, and that is where I saw my first Willem De Kooning  painting. I got it , I was smitten and I knew I had to make art like that. Another influence was when I saw the Jackson Pollock painting on the cover of Life Magazine. I was young but these experiences spoke to me.  

CM/CAN YOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS? HOW YOU BEGIN A PAINTING?

DG/ I begin paintings with a wash of color and then I layer over and over. My paintings have gotten more baroque with lots and lots of stuff. Drawing, splashing and dripping—all of these are ways to make discord and somehow this lack of harmony makes harmony for me.

CM/ WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT PAINTING ON A LARGE SCALE? AND ON A SMALLER SCALE?

DG/ Working on a large scale is like the sublime and largess of the Hudson River Painter—my body in space dancing with a paint brush. Smaller work is immediate and I feel like the artist hovering over the paper or canvas on a table. 

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?

DG/ In a converted garage with sliding glass doors that look out at my garden. I think the intimacy with the seasons and the earth enhance my ability to paint in a very profound way.

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

DG/ I have work by Claire Watson, Christa Maiwald, Sue Heatly, Don Christianson, Barry McCullum and Eric Brown.



MARGARET GARRETT

“Garrett’s paintings are alive with movement, rhythm and color—expressions of balletic grace.”
— Coco Myers

“My childhood was spent dancing. It was my first identity and my first mode of expression as an artist, and one that continues to inform my work to this day. When I begin working on a new piece, I see the paper or canvas as an empty stage and the line as movement. Texture, form, and the way that colors interact are all different manifestations of motion, rhythm, and energy.

While my work is abstract, it can at times evoke shapes and patterns found in nature. I often work in ongoing series, developing a language and following it as it morphs and evolves. Some of my series are more driven by mark making and layers of color, and in others the shapes and the way they interplay are the dynamic force, but in all my work I’m concerned with movement and the overall music of the piece.” — MG

Born in North Carolina and raised in Pennsylvania, Margaret Garrett currently lives and maintains a studio on Shelter Island, New York. She left home at the age of 16 to join the Pennsylvania Ballet Company and later joined the Cleveland Ballet as a soloist. At the age of 22, she began painting, finding a spiritual connection to dance in the movement of line and color.

Garrett’s work has been widely exhibited in galleries, museums and art fairs, including the Parrish Art Museum, the Watermill Center, the Heckscher Museum, Danese/Corey, Art Miami, Art on Paper and the Armory Show. In 2018, she was awarded a fellowship at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her work is held in the Parrish Art Museum and Guild Hall Museum and in numerous private and corporate collections in the United States and Europe.

Margaret Garrett by Jaime Lopez

Margaret Garrett by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

MARGARET GARRETT speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MEDIA ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING IN?

MG/ Acrylic on paper and linen. I like that acrylic dries faster and allows me to work more quickly. I'm also doing a lot of work with film now, using my iPhone to film and Final Cut Pro to edit.

CM/ CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR LOVE OF DANCE IS INCORPORATED INTO YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

MG/ I see line as movement and I’m fascinated by the choreography of everything. I find myself composing a painting by finding the balance of patterns or deciding where to leave space. I’m also very aware of the rhythm or music of the piece. In dancing I frequently find shapes or motions that capture a certain feeling and I incorporate these into my artwork.

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

MG/ The light and space has a huge effect on my work and on my psyche. This area has also become such a center for art-making, so it's wonderful to live where there is a community of artists to share work and ideas with.

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

MG/ I live on the beach on Shelter Island and I love the beach, especially watching the light on the water. I like to take walks around the island and in Mashomack Preserve. I like going out in Sag Harbor with friends. And of course, I love the Parrish and Guild Hall!

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

MG/ I have a watercolor by Eric Fischl, a work on paper by David Salle, a photograph by Ralph Gibson and a painting on paper by George Negroponte. I would love to have many more—too many to name!

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

KURT GIEHL

“Giehl’s paintings—both his seductive, soothing landscapes and graphic abstracts—have immediate and lasting appeal. ”
— Coco Myers

“My seascape paintings highlight the subtleness of horizon – where air meets land meets water. I find the horizon fascinating and attempt to capture it using images I’ve taken on numerous fishing trips around East End bodies of water. My intent is that these paintings induce a level of calm and tranquility. Slightly abstracted, the paintings are intended to draw the viewer into a surreal and somewhat otherworldly scene. I intentionally limit my palette to further exaggerate the subtleness of my composition and create a soothing experience.

Different from my seascape paintings, my abstracts are bolder oil paintings and collages that explore the process of creating art. I like to explore an object or shape by replicating it multiple times – finding structure and balance as the creative process evolves. My line paintings are complete play on color and structure. There is something incredibly satisfying about a line – it provides order and balance. 

On any given day, I pivot between working on my seascape and abstract paintings. I love switching things up and am constantly exploring new ways to express myself..” — KG

Giehl was born and raised in Rochester, NY. He attended Drexel University. After 23 years on Wall Street, Giehl decided to leave his financial career behind and pursue his passion for art full time. Having only dabbled in art while on Wall Street, Giehl and his husband relocated from Manhattan to East Hampton to fully immerse himself into the East End art scene. Primarily self-taught, Giehl has relied heavily on his collaboration with other Hamptons artists to develop and guide his creative journey.

Giehl’s work is exhibited widely across galleries on the East End and Los Angeles. He has had solo exhibits at Exhibit A Gallery in Los Angeles, CA, Ashawagh Hall and Lululemon in East Hampton, NY. His work was included in gallery exhibits at the Kathryn Markel Gallery in Bridgehampton, NY; William Ris Gallery in Jamesport, NY, and The White Room in Bridgehampton, NY. Giehl’s work is also included in numerous home stores,  including Elizabeth Dow Home in East Hampton, NY, Destination Haus in Amagansett, NY; and Atlantic in Nantucket, MA. Giehl enjoys working with collectors on numerous commissions and his work is included in many private collections located in the United States and abroad.

Giehl lives and works in  East Hampton, New York.

Kurt Giehl by Jaime Lopez

Kurt Giehl by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

KURT GIEHL speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MATERIAL DO YOU USE?  WHAT APPEALS TO YOU ABOUT THOSE MATERIALS?

KG/ My paintings generally start with an acrylic base followed by oil. I started painting using acrylic, but it was always a battle to inhibit the drying process. I felt like it was a race against time and very stressful for me. With oil, there is a luxury of feel and movement of the paint across the canvas. I can manipulate the paint over time in a way that is far more enjoyable. 

CM/  IS THERE AN ASPECT OF YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS THAT YOU FEEL IS PARTICULARLY UNIQUE TO YOU/YOUR ART? MAYBE IT’S THE PALETTE OR THE SIZE OR THE SHAPES YOU ARE DRAWN TO?

KG/ I’m most creative between the hours of 3 and 5 am. This is when I lie in bed and think, some would say obsess, about inspiration, paintings, techniques, process, what I’m trying to say with my art. While it’s not good for my sleep, it’s a great creative journey – at least in my mind.

CM/ YOU DO BOTH ABSTRACT WORKS AND LANDSCAPES. DESCRIBE HOW YOU APPROACH EACH STYLE OR HOW YOU GO FROM ON TO THE OTHER.

KG/ I work on multiple paintings throughout the day. I love going from one type of painting to another as it keeps things interesting. Painting landscapes puts me in almost a trance where I get completely lost in the painting. My abstracts require more focus on the process and techniques I’m using.

CM/ Where and when do you do your most of your work? WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU DO MOST OF YOUR WORK?

KG/ I do all of my work in my studio at my home. Having spent a big part of the night thinking about what I want to do, the day finds me in full execution mode. The only change I would make to my work process is to find more opportunities to paint with other artists. I like to watch other people paint, I like the collaboration that occurs, and I like to talk. I can only listen to so many podcasts during the day without going nuts.

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

KG/ Three and half years ago, both my husband and I were ready to make a life change. I left my 25-year career on Wall Street, we sold our apartment, and we moved to our East Hampton home. The way of life on the East End is the way we like to live. 

CM/ Do you feel inspired by the history of art on the east end? DO YOU FEEL INSPIRED BY THE HISTORY OF ART ON THE EAST END?

KG/ Living in the Springs especially, it’s hard not to be inspired by how many great artists lived and worked in the area. I also find incredible inspiration from current living and working artists on the East End. The community is so welcoming and open to new and emerging artists. It’s really quite special and I’ve benefited tremendously from the relationships I’ve built with the artist community.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME? ARE THERE ANY ARTISTS YOU WOULD LOVE TO OWN?

KG/ I do own work by many east end artists. There are so many talented artists on the east end, it’s hard not to collect. I am particularly fond of Christine Matthai, a folioeast artist. I find her work incredibly exciting and vibrant, but somehow at the same time, there is a meditative quality about her work that I Iove. 

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

JONATHAN NASH GLYNN

“Glynn’s bold paintings are vibrant fields of color and movement. You sense the artist’s hand in the swirls and layered gestures of paint. His pastels are balanced, energetic compositions that are irresistibly up-lifting.”
— Coco Myers

“I see imagery as musical—choreographed to show movement. I choose vibrant colors and use them in combinations that could be considered discordant. In so doing, I hope to jar the viewer out of a conventional manner of looking at color.

When I work within a painted collage format I use a mix of materials, such as aluminum foil and gold, silver and bronze leaf over iridescent and translucent acrylics. My intention is to project an image holding and unfolding itself together in fragments without a clear resolution.

With my pastel series, I employ simple geometric shapes that become part of more intricate patterns that should draw the eye in different ways, thus making their own and unique claim for attention.

My work has evolved into an expressive, pure abstraction as I’ve begun  to open up and lose control of the composed parts. These paintings  are about freeing myself and creating work that’s like a jazz composi tion—without a simplistic theme or introductory passage. They get into  the layering and weaving of surface patterns until they form a unified  whole.”

— JG

Jonathan Nash Glynn was born and raised in New Jersey. He gradu ated from the School of Fine Arts at Tufts University and got his MFA at  the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He taught painting at the Minneapolis  College of Art and Design and ceramics at Montclair State College. 

Glynn has exhibited widely across the country. Solo shows include  Arthur T. Kalaher Fine Art, Southampton, NY; Pace Collection, Palazetti,  Sarah Rentschler Gallery, Littlejohn-Smith Gallery, and Carlyn Gallery,  New York, NY; Chrysalis Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; and Carol Getz Gallery,  Coral Gables, FL. Group shows include The Watermill Center, Wa termill, NY: folioeast, East Hampton, NY; Miller Gallery, New York, NY;  Swan Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Joan Robey Gallery, Denver, CO; Gal lerie Martin, Boca Raton, FL; Caroline Lee Gallery, Houston, TX; Gas pari Gallery, New Orleans, LA; and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston,  among other exhibits. 

Glynn is the founder of Wings Over Haiti, a non-profit dedicated to build ing schools in central Haiti. He lives fulltime in Sag Harbor, NY. 

Glynn in his studio by Jaime Lopez

Glynn in his studio by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

JONATHAN NASH GLYNN speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU’VE BEEN WORKING IN ACRYLIC RECENTLY. WHAT IS THE APPEAL FOR YOU?

JG/ Acrylic pours easily, has a variety of translucent and iridescent properties and dries quickly so I can proceed with other layers.

CM/ YOUR PASTELS ARE VERY RICH, THE COLORS SATURATED. HOW DO YOU GET THAT EFFECT?

JG/ I do not use pastels in the traditional way of blending subtly; I use them in a direct attacking mode—strong and bold and spontaneous. I like pastels because they are so immediate and the colors are so luscious. They allow me to work with composition and unusual relationships with color. I often combine pastels with other materials. For instance, by using butchers wax all over the surface and then scraping it away and adding more colors, I got some interesting effects—the pastels look like they’re being layered.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA WHEN YOU START A PIECE HOW IT WILL LOOK WHEN IT’S FINISHED?

JG/ Most of the time my work just unfolds; I don't know how it will end up. My interest is to not know exactly where I’m going when I start working on a piece, and to explore areas that are not typical for me. I’m looking for images and ideas that reflect the mystery of it all while keeping myself interested in what I’m doing. Hopefully others will find pleasure or curiosity in these artworks as well.

CM/ HOW DID YOU END UP LIVING IN SAG HARBOR?

JG/ It started with a summer share in 1995 and then I bought my house and did a gut renovation. When I completely rebuilt the house, from an old 1840s whaler’s cottage that was in complete disrepair, the town allowed me to construct an art studio with 20-plus-foot ceilings—which you can’t do now. I feel lucky to have a spacious studio in my home in Sag Harbor Village. I couldn’t ask for more.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO OUT EAST?

JG/ I love to hike and kayak with friends and meet Coco and Arthur for drinks!

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW