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

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 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

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

JAIME LOPEZ

“Lopez’s photographs play upon and expand conventional perceptions of nature, visually enhancing the familiar.”
— Coco Myers

“My photographs are a response to the environment around me—not only the natural beauty of the landscape but also the way that the environment is being threatened. These sometimes ominous visions of beauty can be interpreted as a metamorphosis taking place within nature. My hope is that they will evoke a positive action towards ongoing nature preservation and protection.

The phrase ‘art imitates life’ has been a constant theme and inspiration in my career.” 


Jaime Lopez was born in Peru, a country rich in breathtaking landscapes, which became an aesthetic foundation for his lifelong career as a photographer and artist. His vast body of work is a reflection of his journeys across the globe.

Lopez arrived in New York City from Peru to study graphic design at Parsons School of Design in 1980. After three years assisting top fashion photographers in New York City, he began his own fashion photography career, shooting mostly in Italy and Spain. Jaime’s work has been widely published in Elle, Marie Claire, Telva, Hola, GQ, Woman Magazine, Glamour and Cosmopolitan.

In 2000, Lopez returned to the U.S. moving to Sagaponack on the East End of Long Island. There, he became captivated by the raw aesthetics and pristine beauty, which inspired the next artistic chapter of his life, photographing the environment around him.

In 2020 Lopez began photographing folioeast artists in their studios, a project that turned into a self-published coffee table book, “Hamptons Artists: The Current Wave-48 Artists Making Their Mark on the East End.”  A second edition is in the works.


Lopez in his studio

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

JAIME LOPEZ speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS ARE PRINTED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON ALUMINUM; CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE PROCESS?

JL/ It is printing sublimation on aluminum. It has a super quality, with no reflection, and can be hung in different environments, like outdoors, in humid areas or near heat sources without risk.

CM/ HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

JL/ I capture landscapes and reinterpret them, approaching the idea as if I was a painter. All my images have color that’s different than one may expect of a traditional landscape.

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END?

JL/ My wife, Marilyn Clark, is from East Hampton. We had our house in Sagaponack rented while we lived in Europe, and after ten years abroad in Milan and Madrid, decided to move back so our daughters could attend the one-room schoolhouse in Sagaponack.

CM/ YOU DO ALL YOUR FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY HERE?

JL/ Yes. I want to capture this ever-changing landscape so we have a record of how it used to be when we were in the Hamptons.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?

JL/ All four seasons. Because of the light and the blend of farmland and ocean—two of my favorite habitats. It seems to me that every day is different and always has a surprise in mood or color.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?

JL/ I photograph outdoors and I just started to work on portraits and still life in my new studio in Sagaponack.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE SPOTS ON THE EAST END? ANY THAT HELP YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

JL/ The fields and beaches of Sagaponack. The trails all over the East End are gorgeous and exciting to ride a mountain bike around them in the winter time. In summers, I ride my road bike and motorcycles around the roads in the area. It is a very nice and practical way to discover and get inspired by new sites!

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

JANE MARTIN

“A Martin photograph is always compelling, whether it captures the grandeur and power of nature or its subtle complexity. Equally strong are her abstract paintings— richly colored, textured, and beautifully balanced. ”
— Coco Myers

“In The Break series, my photographic study of water captures the 'moment between moments' of surf, invisible to our human eye. These images reveal the inherent sensuality and power of the ocean on the East End, creating a visceral experience for the viewer. Winters spent in Byron Bay, Australia led to an examination of what lies both on the surface of water and below it. I am drawn to waterways and terrains, peering down into their depths and mapping their surfaces. They walk the fine line between abstraction and representation, between the fluid and the solid, remaining ambiguous and bold at the same time. Although the images may appear altered,we find that nature offers the extraordinary in the ordinary… ‘reality’ in the age of manipulation.

Painting, meanwhile, is an act of faith. Approaching the white canvas I open myself to a meditative state that allows color and form to rush in. Then I often paint or scrape over existing layers, leaving traces of what has come before. This creates a seemingly direct connection with nature, however abstract.

Since I moved to the East Hampton sixteen years ago, nature has increasingly called to me in my work, asking for recognition, as I attune myself to its rhythms and celebrate its beauty.

— JM

Martin was born in Brooklyn, grew up on Long Island where she spent summers on Peconic Bay, and subsequently spent much of her adult life between France and New York City. She studied art in Tours, France under the direction of a former assistant to and student of Hans Hoffmann and evolved as an abstract painter. Exposure to artistically compelling European cinema led her back to New York City where she studied filmmaking at New York University. After a career in filmmaking in both NYC and Paris with the likes of Al Pacino and Gregory Colbert, she directed the documentary film Silent Sentries, broadcast on PBS.

In 1996 she established an art studio on the Lower East Side, returning to painting as a means of creative expression. In 2004, after nearly 15 years of city life, she moved her home and studio to East Hampton, New York, where the focus of her work shifted to the primal and powerful forces found in nature, in particular through her long love for and practice of photography.

Martin’s work has been exhibited in numerous museums, art fairs and galleries in New York City, the East End, Miami, Santa Fe, Dallas, Los Angeles, Australia, and Europe. Martin has had solo exhibitions at Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY and Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY. Her work can also be found in the permanent collection of the Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY; Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY; and in numerous corporate and private collections throughout the world.

Jane Martin by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

JANE MARTIN speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MEDIUMS DO YOU WORK IN?

JM/ When something calls to me, however undefined it may be at the inception, it seems to speak in the language of a particular medium. So by nature I am a multi-disciplinary artist, currently working primarily in photography, video, and painting. Each medium informs and enriches the other as their subjects refer to both the primal power and quieter mysteries of nature.

CM/ WHAT DRAWS YOU TO PHOTOGRAPHY AS A MEDIUM?

JM/ Photography is an act of intimacy. It often allows us to see what we are incapable of observing in the movement of life. The wave images were shot post-hurricane with a 300mm lens – stepping way beyond the danger zone ropes, standing in the raging sea. The format that feels most potent to me is a long horizontal, a 2.4:1 ratio called Anamorphic, that echoes cinematic widescreen. I crop my images according to this ratio, allowing the ocean ‘riffs’ to fill the screen.

CM/ WATER IS A MAIN THEME IN YOUR WORK. WHY?

JM/ Whether the primal force of the ocean—the enormous surf of the East End—or the stillness of lakes on the easternmost point of Australia. Water also comes to a perfect stillness as reflected in my more abstract series, shot above tea tree lakes, ‘Down Under,’ once aboriginal birthing grounds. Full of depth and mystery, we find the extraordinary in the ordinary. 

CM/HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHEN TO PAINT OR PHOTOGRAPH?

JM/Photography is based on the natural elements, dependent on weather and seasons. But I can paint whenever I like. I simply go into the studio to work rather than waiting for inspiration.

CM/WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN PAINTING MATERIALS?

JM/ Acrylic paint (including iridescent colors), silver and gold leaf, brushes, scrapers, sandpaper, charcoal and graphite. I switched from oil to acrylic many years ago as acrylic allows me to work more quickly and still gives beautiful rich results.

CM/WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING OR SATISFYING ABOUT PAINTING?

JM/When I have been working on photographs and printing for a long time I like getting back to painting. Painting allows me to move away from screens and digital technologies. I enjoy working with my hands and listening to music. One of my favorite moments is when I go into my studio late at night to sit and look at what I have accomplished or muse about how I want to approach a painting I have been working on. There seems to be increased clarity at that hour.

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END?

JM/I first came to the East End in 1998 looking for a weekend respite from New York City. I immediately fell in love with the diversity of waterscapes and its more rural areas combined with the level of cultural sophistication.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold painting

CHRISTINE MATTHÄI

“Matthäi’s photographs, with their aura of sensuality and spirituality, are also quite stylish, sometimes even glamorous.”
— Coco Myers

“I use photography as a tool to express my feelings and impressions. The original photographic images are digitally transformed so that colors and shapes turn into abstractions of the source image.

My intention is to convey the feeling of losing oneself in space with no sense of time and place, which is similar to the practice of meditation. I often work with multiple layers to achieve the final image, which emerges from my subconscious.

My favorite subject has been water, a fascination that resulted in my Light and Sea series. This work consists of abstract visual meditations on the interplay of air, light and water, the shifting of colors and shapes from form to formlessness. In Light Meditations, the brushing light lines on the water’s surface turn into visual rhythms, repetitive strolls on lines and dots.

With Musings on Words and Poetry, I incorporate repetitions of words and sentences from poetry and letters. The images pay homage to the vanishing word as a carrier of thought. The form of the square represents the four elements of fire, water, air and earth. I use the square as a sacred place to hold multiple layers of writings precious to me. The visual effects are similar to ancient hieroglyphs—an expression of my desire for timelessness and preservation.”

Charles Riley II, PhD Director, Nassau County Museum of Art, NY

“Matthäi’s labyrinthine meditations have a marvelous multi-media comprehensiveness. They begin with photographs of the ripples on a beach (East Hampton, the Bahamas and Miami, reminding me of Le Corbusier's black-and-white photos of beach patterns)…. Matthäi's own talent for correlating the metaphysical with the physical, through sound, color, correspondences, structures, symbols, textures, words...and even mathematics. She is the epitome of the idea we hoped to share, to make the invisible visible, to bring energy to the wall. Leonardo da Vinci would have been entranced."

German-born Christine Matthäi’s fascination with photography and film began during her early teens. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in Berlin, then moved to New York City in the mid-eighties, where she started as a photographer’s assistant. Later, she worked as a photojournalist and foreign correspondent for international magazines and newspapers.

Matthäi’s strong connections to the New York art scene stimulated and helped contribute to the exploration of her own artistic creativity. Over a decade ago, she decided to pursue her art photography full time. She moved to the East End in 1992. She now lives and works between the Hamptons, New York, Miami, and the Bahamas.

Matthäi’s work has appeared in shows at the Alex Ferrone Gallery, Cutchogue, NY; the Watermill Museum, Watermill, NY; folioeast, East Hampton, NY; Monika Olko Gallery and Tullla Booth Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY: ARC Fine Art, Fairfield, CT; ArtHamptons; Grand Gallery, Grand Bahama; Majestic Hotel, Dubai; Amarillo Gallery, Bologna, Italy; and Galerie Melior, Straubing, Germany, among others.

Christine Matthäi by Jaime Lopez

Christine Matthäi by Jaime Lopez

PORTFOLIO

current & recently sold work

CHRISTINE MATTHÄI speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL OR UNUSUAL TECHNIQUES THAT YOU USE IN YOUR ART?

MATTHÄI/ I use photography as a primary tool. The original photographic images are then digitally transformed so that colors and shapes turn into abstractions of the source image. The images are either produced on plexiglass or as prints on paper which then serve as a canvas to be painted upon. For my newest series, Sand-gold Mandalas, I am mostly using sand and gold colors on paper.

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

MATTHÄI/ My work is inspired by nature and stillness, by the extraordinary light conditions of sea, sky and water on the East end of Long Island. These conditions are reflected in my Light and Sea, Sacred Path and Architecture of Sound series.

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

MATTHÄI/ I can work anywhere when I feel inspired. My house in Shelter Island serves as my summer studio. My latest Sand and Gold Mandala art works were initially started on several Bahamas and Florida beaches where I let the natural forces of wind and sun form sand patterns for my photographic images which I later painted on with sand and gold color.

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

MATTHÄI/ I have works of several fellow artists from Shelter Island and I hope to eventually exchange art with my friend and sculptor Hans van de Bovenkamp.

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

MATTHÄI/ I work in series and each series is a continuation of the previous one. They are all connected though my inner quest of seeking the core of our existence.

BETH O'DONNELL

“O’Donnell’s floral photographs are lush and 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 photography

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 photography

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

JANICE STANTON

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

“In all my work—still photography, film, and collage—I seek to create something revelatory. I am keenly interested in the interplay of words, ideas and visual imagery. Travel and cultural exploration also inform my work: In my surroundings I find the texture and detail from which I create abstract moments from everyday life.

The lines between photography, painting and collage are deliberately blurred in my abstract work; sometimes all three appear in a single piece. Texture, layering and a carefully selected palette are key elements.

In my more narrative work, recurring themes suggest loss, absence and aspects of the human condition; or I may simply explore a color, or a particular material or medium.

Among the materials in my collages are found objects, pieces of my own photographs, calligraphy, and remnants of daily life. All a consequence of never averting my eyes.” — 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.

Stanton studied at The Art Students League, the International Center of Photography, the School of Visual Arts, and in workshops with photographers Mary Ellen Mark, Sally Gall, Peter Turnley and Arlene Collins.

Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries, including Ricco Maresca Gallery, New York; the Art Students League, New York, NY; Guild Hall and folioeast, East Hampton, NY; the White Room Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; and is also in many private collections.

Stanton in her studio by Jaime Lopez

Stanton in her studio by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold photography

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 photography

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media


AARON WARKOV

“In both his painting and photography, Warkov creates imagery that is powerful without being overwrought.”
— Coco Myers

“My recent large format photographs and paintings have focused on gravity and patterns in nature, such as in farm fields, the energy of the ocean, and architectural objects.

I try to capture the silence and solitude of my vision—one that does not hesitate to face the difficulties of life and embrace the impermanence and boundlessness of nature. I don’t seek to celebrate the materials or methods used in the making. I encourage viewers to sense underlying forces giving rise to visible forms—exposing a vibrating instant of existence.” — AW

Warkov was born in San Francisco. His young parents, who were attending the San Francisco Art Institute, immersed him in a family soup of creativity. When he was nine, his family relocated to Minneapolis and it was there he discovered his relationship to gravity, wind and water, becoming a champion skateboarder and windsurfer. At 17, he went to Europe and modeled with top designers including Versace and Valentino. It was this exposure that kick-started his own photographic path, doing commercial work for advertising and magazines, as well as celebrity portraits. He is now turning his artistic lens on the natural world.

Warkov’s work is in both private and corporate collections in Manhattan. He resides in New York City and Sagaponack, NY, with his girlfriend, dog, and large collection of surfboards.

Aaron Warkov by Jaime Lopez

Aaron Warkov by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold photography

AARON WARKOV speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

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

AW/ Acrylic paint and mediums because they allows me to freeze sections and over paint to create layers over layers, and textures that run over textures. For photography, I use large format Giclée prints on archival rag paper—this shows my work in a scale that makes you crawl into the image.

CM/ IS THERE ONE PART OF YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS THAT IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT?

AW/ As with most of my work I ask myself to never be afraid of the medium I am working in, and to try to stand in a different spot than any other person has been, to view or create my work from a unique perspective.

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

AW/ My girlfriend reintroduced me to the area four years ago, and to all it contains—the beach, the light, the diverse landscape, the mix of socioeconomic structure, the hedges, the farms, the waves, the working class, the clash of cultures.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON OUT HERE?

AW/ Anytime before or after the peak summer season. I can come and go anywhere as I please without the slow traffic crawl to capture images in less crowded places, and drive on the beach with my gear to reach areas I want to capture.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?

AW/ I work out of a studio-office space in my home, and outdoors out of my 4x4 foot van.

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

AW/ I do. The third jetty by Georgica pond, the beaches of Montauk Point, farm fields in Sagaponack, lonely quiet points in the Springs facing the sound, the Napeague area with all its natural diversity and quiet forgotten places. And anywhere that is showing artwork inspired by the diverse community of artists out here.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of photography

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold painting

JEFF LION WEINSTOCK

“Weinstock captures the abstract nature of the textures and colors of ordinary walls and enhances them in a way that elevates the images to painterly pieces of art.”
— Coco Myers

“I photograph walls and urban surfaces around New York City and elsewhere. I look  for shapes, patterns, colors, textures, and assemblages of elements that taken out of context suggest new compositions. Often I heighten or change the colors and play with contrast and shadows. Most of what I photographs is ephemera: things that disappear because of weather or human intervention. There's a sense of discovery when I find a hidden composition and can bring it to life. I want viewers to make their own associations with the images and read into them their own feelings and experiences. ” — JW

Jeff Lion Weinstock is an award-winning television and film producer and fine art photographer. A native of Greenwich Village, his photographs pay tribute to the city, and as critic Michael Kimmelman has observed, “its secret spectacles.”  Mr Weinstock earned his MFA in film from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1969. After spending several years as a still photographer for advertising agencies in New York city he began a freelance career as cinematographer/director. In 1990 he joined RHI entertainment as Vice President of in-house production working on documentary, commercial and theatrical projects that took him all over the world. He created several television series, including Adoption, and television specials like The Boys, a tribute to Laurel and Hardy. He divides his time between New York City and Springs.

Jeff Weinstock

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

JEFF WEINSTOCK speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM: Why are you drawn to walls in particular. What about them appeals to you?

JW: Walls and pavement are the canvases of cities, offering infinite possibilities. I look to discover elements that come together in unexpected ways.

CM: Does the landscape out here find its way into your work ?

JW:  Here, I photograph the ocean and trees. particularly in winter. But almost all of my work is done in cities. 

CM: Do you feel connected to the artists out here and do you own any of their works?

JW:  Living in Springs  for a a long time, aware of its rich history,  being friends with several  artists and having Ashawagh Hall down the road have all instilled in me a sense of community with the people who make things here. Among other things, I own a piece by the Montauk painter Janet Sawyer and a sculpture by Martin Craig, both of which I love.

CM: How did you get interested in photography?

JW: Most of my career was spent as a cinematographer and cameraman on films. That grew out of my original interest, which was photography. As a kid I spent time at the Limelight cafe/gallery in Greenwich Village, looking at the photographs of Robert Frank , Ansel Adams, Minor White and others. I started taking pictures at that time and won a Kodak completion in high school, and in my late teens my mother, who worked at the Ford Foundation, hired me to take photographs for a book she was writing.   

CM: Your work has a painterly quality. Is that something that you do on purpose?

JW: I grew up in Greenwich Village in the 1950's and 60's, during the heyday of the New York School painters and photographers, and I absorbed a repertoire of images that became a kind of visual Rolodex in my unconscious. 

Most of my painterly work is made while hunting the city. I look for details, accidents, visual coincidences, that have about them an inherent element of abstraction and that lend themselves to my making even more abstracted pictures. Then I work with color, whether subtle or vivid, while staying true to the heart of the thing that I'm photographing. Or at least that's how I see it. So you could say that I'm operating in a zone between painting and photography, between reality and abstraction, such that a viewer is not always going to be sure whether the image they're seeing is real, or even what it is. 

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

RUTH WETZEL

“Wetzel’s photographs heighten the beauty and power of nature; they reflect the world—but also her imagination.”
— Coco Myers

“My photographs explore water as it exists in nature, moving, and carving spaces and blurring spatial perception. Water is something that holds and supports like a solid but moves at the same time. In stillness, water’s surface can reveal so much of below and above.

I photograph this exploration in swamps, creeks, beaches, and swimming pools. In deconstructing expected landscape configurations, I find abstraction blooms between light, reflection, and receding surfaces. In water spaces, my formal interests combine with mystery, nuance, and spirituality. The viewer is engaged through questioning what they are looking at, and how to decode the scene. Each picture invites narrative interpretation and unfolds slowly.” — RW

Ruth Wetzel was born in Atlanta, GA and grew up in Katonah, NY. She has a M.F.A. from Maryland Institute, College of Art, and a B.S. in Design from Buffalo State College.

She has spent over 25 years interpreting the landscape through drawing, painting and most recently photography and has received fellowships from Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Women’s Studio Workshop and New York State Council on the Arts.

Wetzel has exhibited in many galleries and public institutions, most recently at Cross Contemporary Gallery, Saugerties, NY and Davis-Orton Gallery, Hudson, NY, Ashawagh Hall and folioeast, East Hampton, NY and the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park, New York, NY. Her work has been collected nationally and internationally. Ruth divides her time between the Hudson Valley, Manhattan, and East Hampton.

Ruth Wetzel by Jaime Lopez

Ruth Wetzel by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

RUTH WETZEL speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

RW/ I travel around to various water bodies and note the light, tides, contours of the land, and repeatedly visit to capture an image. Depending on the location and season, I follow patterns of pollen drop, duckweed, cottonwood, ice, seagrass, froth, and how tides carve the bottom surface of sand. Wind, reflections from above, and the movement of the water all affect how the surface will of the water appears.

CM/ WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE EAST END?

RW/ My mother bought a house in the Springs in 2000. Since then both my sisters have moved here. The East End has so many watery nooks and beautiful light—the open possibilities of land, water, and sky are endless.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE SPOTS OUT HERE?

RW/ The many coves of Gardiner's Bay, Shadmoor State Park, Napeague Beach, Ashawagh Hall, and the East Hampton library.

CM/ DO YOU FEEL A CONNECTION TO THE EAST END’S ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST HISTORY?

RW/ I draw inspiration from Pollock's house every time I drive by it. I also cherish the thought of him trading paintings for credit at The General Store in Springs.

CM/ IF YOU COULD CHOOSE A WORK OF ART, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

RW/ I would like a Willem de Kooning.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW