GEORGE SINGER

“A George Singer painting feels fresh and inventive, bold but not overworked”
— Coco Myers

I approach painting as a non-verbal, open form of expression, into which I can enter - as one might enter into a meditation, where there is only a vocabulary of color, shape and texture.” — AE

George Singer is a self-taught artist who paints in his East Hampton, NY studio. His work has been shown in New York at Guild Hall, folioeast and Ashawagh Hall in East Hampton, Illes Arts in Amagansett, The National Arts Club on Gramercy Park in Manhattan and the Sara Nightengale Gallery in Sag Harbor. He has also shown online with Serina & Lily.

George Singer by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

GEORGE SINGER speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

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

GS/ Acrylics. I like the variety of colors options, the versatility of textures and the ease of mixing. I also like that the fast-dry properties of Acrylics allows me to work quickly.

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

GS/ I feel like the simpler the composition the bigger the challenge. With simple forms, every stroke of the brush, every choice of color needs to be considered and worked and then reworked. While my attention to color and my palette are consistent among the work I produce, I am not married to a particular style of painting - which means each endeavor into the studio has an air of adventure where anything can happen. 

CM/ WHAT IS IT ABOUT ABSTRACTION THAT APPEALS TO YOU? 

GS/ I love the freedom to create shapes that have no context but engage the viewer to find meaning. By leaving the works open to interpretation, I believe a viewer is more fully engaged. 

CM/ WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU DO YOUR MOST OF YOUR WORK? 

GS/ I work in the art studio in my house. I tend to work most on weekends. I work late into the night on Fridays. Then get up early on Saturday to work and work and work until Sunday night.

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

GS/ I first came to the East End 22 years looking for a respite to the sounds and frenetic activity of the city. I came looking for balance. And I found it here.

CM/ DOES THIS AREA INFLUENCE YOUR WORK? HOW SO?

GS/ Being in nature creates a calm that allows for a meditative state that enables my creativity to flow in a way that it is unique.

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

GS/ Yes. The early artists’ colony founded in the East End still attracts established and emerging artists to the legacy that great art is created here. It is a legacy I am grateful and humbled to be a part of. 

CM/ DO YOU OWN WORK BY EAST END ARTISTS? ARE THERE ANY ARTISTS YOU WOULD LOVE TO OWN?

GS/ I own works by Mary Heilmann, Vija Celmins, Stanley Whitney and Mark Perry. I would love to have more of all their pieces in my collection. 

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

DAVID SLIVKA

“Slivka’s iconic early 1970s ink paintings pop, their raw abstract power expressed through strong sculptural shapes in black and white or vibrant color.”
— Coco Myers

David Slivka (1914-2010) was one of the last remaining members of the first generation of American Abstract Expressionist artists. Known as both a painter and sculptor, he worked in a variety of mediums, from ink, crayon, and watercolor, to clay, granite, bronze, and wood.

In the early 1960s, Slivka did a series of rapid ink paintings. In the 1970s, he continued this work in ink, creating a series of large, organic, curvilinear abstract paintings. Some are in vivid tones; others in graphic black and white. Several of the pieces from this era were sold to the New York Port Authority and some were destroyed in the Twin Towers bombing on 9/11.

Slivka was born in Chicago and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. He spent most of his adult life living and working in Greenwich Village, in New York City, where he met and married his wife Rose, a writer, and the two engaged actively as part of what came to be known as the New York School, along with Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Motherwell, and many others. During the 1950s, he and Rose made their way to the Springs, on the East End of Long Island, joining other abstract expressionists such as Pollock and de Kooning who had migrated from the Village. Slivka’s deep connection to nature and art would fuse with this area for the next sixty years.

Untitled 1, early 1970s, ink on paper, 38 x 50 in

Untitled 1, early 1970s, ink on paper, 38 x 50 in

PORTFOLIO

current & recently sold work

Reflections on DAVID SLIVKA

“The sculptor David Slivka told me about going to an artists’ picnic at Barnes Landing in 1953. He arrived driving his ’32 DeSoto, a car he bought used from the printmaker Louis Schanker . . . At the cookout on the beach were Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, Jim and Charlotte Brooks, Bill and Elaine de Kooning, who that summer were staying at Leo Castelli’s on Georgica Pond. Of course, David’s wife Rose, later The {East Hampton} Star’s art critic, was also present. There was plenty of food, alcohol, and a giant bonfire. The swimming was nude, followed by some dancing around the fire. David loved to dance . . . When the time came to return home, Bill and Jackson both wanted to ride in David’s DeSoto, which they called his “Surrealist car,” since its upholstery was falling apart in a fantastic fashion . . . David made vivid the history of Abstract Expressionism as it evolved in the city and on eastern Long Island. When I recorded him for my forthcoming biography of Lee Krasner, he talked about both her and Jackson, as well as about many others . . . He represented so well an entire cultural moment that has now almost disappeared.”

– excerpt from: “Guestwords: Remembering David Slivka,” The East Hampton Star, April 15, 2010, by Gail Levin, Ph.D., distinguished Professor of Art History, Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center

BARBARA THOMAS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thomas in her studio

Thomas in her studio

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold painting

BARBARA THOMAS speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ HOW DO YOU TYPICALLY START TO CREATE?

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

CM/ HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED ON THE EAST END?

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

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

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

CM/ DOES THE TIME OF YEAR INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

AURELIO TORRES

“Torres sculpts with a natural feel for the many facets of wood, while his paintings have a dreamy, subtly mysterious air. All reflect his innate sense of composition.”
— Coco Myers

“My painting typically depicts scenes from nature and my sculptures most often interpret the simple, clean lines of wooden ships. Since I was a teenager, I’ve carved wooden boats. I would go to street fairs in New York and try to sell them. I was always making toys and working with wood. My aesthetic sensibility is one of essential simplicity and natural, uncontrived beauty.” — AT

Torres was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1962. “I grew up in this wonderful house that my father built, two blocks from my grandfather’s house.“ His father, Horacio Torres, was an accomplished, classically-trained artist, and his grandfather was the acclaimed modernist artist, Joaquin Torres-Garcia. Torres, who was raised in New York City from his teens, began his artistic training in Barcelona, Spain, where he studied for several years with his uncle, Augusto Torres, another classically trained painter in the family. Torres has shown in group exhibits throughout the East End. He currently works and resides in East Hampton, New York.

Torres at work

Torres at work

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold painting

AURELIO TORRES speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU PRIMARILY USE?

AT/ Oil paints, found materials, reclaimed lumber. Materials I come across drive my compositions. I look to combine complementary textures.

CM/ WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK?

AT/ I am inspired by the incredible beauty of our landscape, the power of the sea, the air and what they mean to me.

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

AT/ Initially, affordable artist's space, but the strong artist community, beautiful landscape and connections with people have kept me here.

CM/ IS THERE A SEASON THAT IS THE MOST CREATIVE TIME FOR YOU?

AT/ The quietness of fall is my favorite time, but I am most creative throughout the warm weather months.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

current & recently sold painting

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold free-standing and wall sculpture

SARAH JAFFE TURNBULL

“Turnbull’s abstract monotypes have a lyrical quality while her glazed clay sculptures molded into multifaceted forms have an earthy elegance.”
— Coco Myers

“I am continually amazed at the interplay between color, light and space. I am also interested in perceptions of balance, particularly things being other than what they appear. I prefer to work in a gestural manner, without a clear end point, remaining open to possibility.

Clay is a wonderfully accessible and malleable medium with its own demands and constraints, moving from fluid to almost stone. Glaze presents another opportunity to say something, the fire (and in the case of raku, the thermal shock) having its way with the form, despite or enhancing my intention. A few years ago I began making monoprints and was captivated by the play of color on paper. The process lends itself to gestural application and combinations of ink, yielding a little bit of magic with a clean edge.” — SJT

Sarah Jaffe Turnbull grew up in Vermont, where she practiced law for many years before moving to the East end of Long Island. Turnbull continued her involvement in community issues including education, housing and health, while raising a family. In 2002, she began to explore ceramics, beginning with functional ware and moving into sculptural work.

Turnbull’s work has been shown in many regional galleries including Alex Ferrone Gallery, Cutchogue, NY; 4 Main Street, Southampton, NY; Southampton Cultural Center, Southampton, NY; folioeast, East Hampton; Kathryn Markel Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY, Lear Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY; Celadon Gallery, Watermill, NY; and the South Street Gallery, Greenport, NY. She has also exhibited in two Long Island Biennials at the Heckscher Art Museum in Huntington, NY.

Balance, 2017, monotype on paper, 11 x 8.5 in, $500

Balance, 2017, monotype on paper, 11 x 8.5 in, $500

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

SARAH JAFFE TURNBULL speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHAT MEDIA ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING IN?

SJT/ Ceramic sculpture and monoprints on paper.

CM/ WHY DO YOU LIKE WORKING IN CLAY?

SJT/ Clay is of the earth, and moves from almost liquid to almost stone, and those who work with it must respect its properties, and I like that fire is a great part of the process.

CM/ WHAT DRIVES YOUR AESTHETIC?

SJT/ I am interested in perceptions of things being other than what they appear. My sculptures are deceptively metallic-looking because of the glaze, which implies a strength, that on closer observation belies vulnerability. In other words, they look strong, but are actually breakable.

CM/ YOUR SHAPES ARE UNUSUAL. WHAT INSPIRED THEM?

SJT/ Some of the forms are architectonic, but out of balance, creating a different kind of tension.

CM/ IS THERE A SEASON OUT HERE THAT MOTIVATES YOU MOST?

SJT/ I prefer the sunny days of any season, and find that I may be more productive when the days are shorter.

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

SJT/ Manoucher Yektai, Costantino Nivola, and Norman Jaffe.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of mixed media

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold sculpture

ROSARIO VARELA

“Varela’s hand is clearly visible in her organic, sensual ceramic sculptures and her graphic abstract paintings.”
— Coco Myers

“I work in different mediums as inspiration beckons. After more than thirty years of personal inquiry and practice, I realize that I am happiest when I allow myself to explore whatever medium I am drawn to at the moment, including textile design, fabric dyeing and other crafts.

In my painting and drawing, I gravitate towards the abstract. I move from watery, layered and moody images to saturated, matte, and precise, graphic pieces. The format can range wildly from a few inches to several feet in size.

One of my passions in recent years has been working with clay—creating organic, sculptural forms as well as functional pieces, both hand-built and wheel-thrown.

I find tremendous enjoyment in the various stages of the ceramic-making process. When the clay is soft and amorphous, kneading and shaping the form is intuitive and visceral. The process becomes meditative due to the repetitive motion and awareness of the hardening material. When almost dry, I detail the surface. The pleasure lies in using fine tools and zeroing in on minute imperfections in order to achieve a perfectly smooth and/or coherent surface. I keep a fairly narrow color palette when it comes to glazing and I often leave the exterior of my pots unglazed because I love the boney color and its earthy texture.” — RV

Rosario Varela was born in 1964 in Argentina, where she grew up. She studied graphic design at the University of Architecture in Buenos Aires and continued at the University of California in Los Angeles. Varela later joined the Brentwood Art Center, where she began her study of fine arts. She moved to New York in 1989 and delved deeper into drawing and sculpture at various institutions, including the Art Students League of New York, the School of Visual Arts, and the New York Studio School. She currently maintains a studio in Amagansett, NY.

Varela’s work has appeared in many group exhibitions, including the Harlem ArtWalk and New Century Artists Gallery, New York, NY; the Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA; the Amagansett Historical Association and Ashawagh Hall, Amagansett, NY.; folioeast, Guild Hall, and Solar Gallery, East Hampton, NY; Celadon Gallery, Watermill, NY; and a solo show at Borem Studios, New York, NY.

Varela in her studio by Jaime Lopez

Varela in her studio by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold painting

ROSARIO VARELA speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT MEDIUM YOU’LL WORK ON IN A GIVEN DAY?

RV/ I choose my materials according to what my body craves. If I pay attention, I can feel whether I need to dig my hands in clay and begin forming an organic object that later may be part of an installation or mix a delicious batch of paint to lay on a large canvas. When I approach my work, it is usually an exploratory endeavor. After a while, the direction of the piece will show itself and I follow its lead.

Given that I am a fairly internal person, somewhat introverted, my hands are the ones that do the talking. Each day I spend very long hours creating something, be it at the potter's wheel or the easel. I hardly ever repeat myself; although all of my work relates to each other, most of my pieces are unique.

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

RV/ The East End is evocative of the town in Argentina where I was born and raised. In 2001 I started coming to Amagansett and by 2004 I had built a house where I now live in full-time.

CM/ HOW DOES THIS AREA INFILTRATE YOUR WORK?

RV/ The clean air, the magical light, the colors, the sound of the wind and ocean—all of it flavors the work I do.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE TIME TO BE ON THE EAST END?

RV/ I love all four seasons. Winter for its moody cloudscapes and deserted streets, spring for its sweet smell and the return of all kinds of faithful blooms, summer with its easy living of long days at the beach, bare feet and open doors, and fall for the crisp air and vibrant hues.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR WORK?

RV/ I transformed a cement-block structure at the back of my property into a multi-purpose studio where I paint, do ceramics and show my work to visitors. In East Hampton, I belong to a ceramic studio co-op. We have all we need to create and fire our pottery from beginning to end.

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

RV/ The passion and dedication of artists like Pollock and de Kooning somehow permeate this area. It is very special to walk the same paths and breathe the same air that they did.

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

RV/ I have beautiful pieces by Jane Martin, Mark Wilson and Mary Ellen Bartley.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of painting

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold sculpture

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 painting

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?

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 painting

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold photography

AMY WICKERSHAM

“You can sense the intuitive creative process in Wickersham’s mixed media works—beautiful and often tactile compositions of color and line.”
— Coco Myers

“My work is process-driven, exploring a variety of materials to create color, form, and textures. I work with a number of mediums such as paint, plaster, metal mesh, silk, collage, and styrofoam, developing layered surfaces. Working within a specific format, I use these elements with an interplay of structure and spontaneous gesture.

I’m inspired by things like trash on the street, peeling paint on a wall, pieces of wire, accidental markings and more. The random array of debris I see is waiting to be salvaged and used as images in my paintings, sculptures and drawings. With one mark informing the next, they become something new and yet allow for the original content to endure.” — AW

Amy Wickersham was born in Chicago. She got her BFA from Denver University and studied painting and drawing at the Spannocchia Foundation in Italy. She moved to New York City in 1990, then full time to Sag Harbor in 2010.

Wickersham has had solo shows at: Clic Gallery, East Hampton, NY; Fox and Fowle Gallery, New York, NY; and Dorry Gates Gallery, Kansas City, MO. Group exhibitions include: The Watermill Art Center (with folioeast), Watermill, NY; Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY; Historical Society, Rye NY; The Nelson Art Gallery, Kansas City, MO; Washington Square Park Gallery, NYC; Nix Gallery, NYC; Kenise Barnes Gallery, Larchmont, NY; and The Spannocchia Foundation, Rosia, Italy. Her work was recently awarded “Best Mixed Media” by Guild Hall in East Hampton, NY.

Wickersham in her studio by Jamie Lopez

Wickersham in her studio by Jamie Lopez

ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

AMY WICKERSHAM speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ WHICH MATERIALS DO YOU USE THE MOST?

AW/ I primarily use acrylic paint with dyed silk. I love the way these materials create translucent layers where color and light emerge from under the surface. When I want to develop more layered surfaces, I combine various mediums including paint, dye, plaster, metal mesh and silk.

CM/ CAN YOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

AW/ I use a variety of materials to create color, form and texture. While I begin with a structured format, my work evolves through spontaneous gestures and intuition.

CM/ WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE EAST END THAT DREW YOU HERE? WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

AW/ I started coming out here with my family for summers twenty years ago. I was drawn to the beauty of the ever-changing light bouncing between the ocean and sky. We moved full time to Sag Harbor in 2013. I run every morning in all kinds of weather, giving me time to see, hear and feel the beauty out here. This observation of nature is a constant source of inspiration.

CM/ WHAT SEASON IS MOST INSPIRING TO YOU?

AW/ I love every season here. I find the most productive and creative time is winter, when I tend to hibernate, spending more time inside and quiet, away from the distractions of summer activities and visitors.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO MOST OF YOUR WORK?

AW/ My studio is in my backyard, just a few steps away from our house, so it’s very accessible at all times. In the summer I can work with open doors or even outside—where I don’t have to worry about getting too messy.

CM/ DO YOU FEEL CONNECTED TO THE HISTORY OF THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISTS ON THE EAST END?

AW/ I often think of the great painters that have preceded us out here. Thinking about how they enjoyed the beauty of this area in the same way that I enjoy it now, with an appreciation of the light, water and sky, brings them to life for me.

CM/ ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR ARTWORKS YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE?

AW/ There are so many wonderful artists out here, both present and past. Of course I would love to own a de Kooning, Pollock, or Krasner, but there are lots of artists I’ve met—many through folioeast—whose work I admire.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW

GUS YERO

“Gus Yero’s abstracts are full of character and color: imaginative compositions that capture the eye.
”
— Coco Myers

“When I paint, my focus is primarily color. The application of one color leads to another. A language is formed, and shapes are created out of this process.” — GY

Gus Yero was born in New York, N.Y and studied painting at The Art Students League with Larry Poons, William Scharf and Joanna Pousette-Dart.  His work has been exhibited in numerous shows, including at Arlene Bujese, Ashawagh Hall, and folioeast, East Hampton, NY;  Sara Nightingale Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Queens College and the New York Arts Club, New York, NY.  He currently lives and works in New York city and East Hampton.

Gus Yero by Jaime Lopez

Gus Yero by Jaime Lopez

ARTIST'S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold work

GUS YERO speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

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

GS/I like the versatility of acrylic paints. I can achieve endless amounts of effects and techniques.

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

GY/My palette is my focus. Color is my vocabulary. 

CM/WHAT IS IT ABOUT ABSTRACTION THAT APPEALS TO YOU?   

GY/When I paint I’m not confined by subject matter. I’m honest to the medium. I see paint as just paint. Something to be manipulated to create flat sculptures.

CM/WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU DO YOUR MOST OF YOUR WORK? 

GY/I paint in my studio in East Hampton. I’m always creatively inspired by the things I see and experience every day. Sometimes it will be a certain color or visual, which I’ll make a mental note of to use later in a painting.

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

GY/I came out to the east end 32 years ago. I was drawn to the beauty of nature.

CM/DOES THIS AREA INFLUENCE YOUR WORK? HOW SO?

GY/The variety of landscapes most definitely inspires me. I can spend hours looking out the window into the woods, but then I would get no painting done. 

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

GY/Jackson Pollock is a great influence. His courage, originality, color, and textures define what painting means to me. 

CM/DO YOU OWN WORK BY EAST END ARTISTS? ARE THERE ANY ARTISTS YOU WOULD LOVE TO OWN?

GS/I currently own work by, Mary Heilmann, Vija Clemins, Stanley Whitney and Mark Perry.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW