Five East End-based artists have teamed up for Oil Works, a month-long exhibition at the Amagansett Library.
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“Reflections under a Venetian Red Wooden Bridge no 1” by Kirsten Benfield. (Courtesy Photo) |
“The Oil Works show for the month of December is the second group of artists in a ten member group,” explained participating artist Kirsten Benfield. “This is the second show of five members.”
Benfield, who was born in Auckland, New Zealand and moved to New York at the age of 26, works primarily in oil and watercolor, as well as various forms of printmaking. After arriving in the Hamptons, she enrolled in watercolor classes at East Hampton’s Guild Hall with Miriam Dugenis. To fine-tune her skills, Benfield began attending weekly oil and watercolor art classes at the Golden Eagle, an East Hampton-based art supplies store that presented art classes, in 2012. She studied under Janet Jennings and Barbara Thomas, who she also took plein air classes with at the Parish Art Museum in Water Mill. It was at her oil painting classes where she dabbled with color charts in O, which had a profound impact on the way she approached both her watercolor and oil paintings. This led to Benfield developing her own signature style. While the Golden Eagle no longer offers classes, Kirsten still leans on Jennings for guidance.
Along with Benfield, Johanna Caleca, Marilyn Goldstein, Kathie Hayden and Peggy Sherrill are also featured in Oil Works.
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“Right Whale” by Peggy Sherrill. (Courtesy Photo) |
“The group has been painting together weekly for many years,” noted Benfield. “We come together weekly in the studio of Janet Jennings, and have done since the group started in the original ‘Golden Eagle Store.’ We have worked under Janet’s guidance, but the group has become a dynamic group of individual with our own styles.”
Oil Works will be on display at the Amagansett Library starting Thursday, December 1st through Saturday, December 31st. An opening reception will take place on Friday, December 2nd from 4 to 6 p.m.
Amagansett Library is located at 215 Main Street in Amagansett. For more information, call 631-267-3810 or visit amaglibrary.org.
