Yearly Hamptons Winter Art Show To Highlight Works Of More Than 50 Local Artists

Southampton Artists Association (SAA) will launch its 2020 season by hosting its yearly Winter Art Exhibit at the Levitas Center for the Arts located at the Southampton Cultural Center in Southampton.

“The Winter Exhibit is our first of four shows at the Southampton Cultural Center,” SAA board member Paul Dempsey relayed. “Our shows are always well represented, and we will be introducing a number of new members who will be exhibiting with us for the first time.”

James Slezak’s Magnetic 2. (Courtesy Photo)

The Winter Art Exhibit will premiere on Wednesday, February 19 and remain on view through Sunday, March 1.

The exhibition will boast works from more than 50 local, East End-based artists, with pieces ranging from oils to acrylics to mixed media to sculptures to photography. “Most of all the works are for sale, including many bin items at reasonable prices,” SAA board member Danielle Leef relayed.

The 2020 iteration will showcase pieces from Jean Arena, Ian Carson, Lance Corey, Jody Cukier, Paul Dempsey, Joe Denny, Robin Gianis, Dave Johns, Dom Lamontanaro, Danielle Leef, Jen Mahoney, Jim McGarvey, Pat McGrath, Pamela Morrison, Linda Nemeth, Sophie Sejourne, Neva Setlow, James Slezak, Pamela Thomson, Maureen Travers, and more. 

SAA was founded to champion local artists and offer opportunities for them to exhibit their work in professional venues. Its members, which include both professional and amateur artists, call the eastern end of Long Island home, with members on the South Fork residing from Remsenburg to Montauk and on the North Fork from Calverton to Orient Point. “Our Association is over 30 years old and seeks to sponsor and help enhance the cultural of art in the local area,” SAA board member James Slezak noted. “Southampton Artists Association serves as a point of contact for individuals with questions about the art activities in our area via our website.”

Focus points range drastically for each artist. “This winter I was not motivated to go outside much for scenes and things to photograph. So, my attention was drawn to materials in my studio. These materials included some magnets I had been experimenting with in our SAA efforts to put some art in the windows of empty stores in the Village of Southampton,” Slezak said about his process. “Some little metal parts and the magnets soon found themselves together and these struck me as tiny sculptures. So, I played around with these. Some I kept just as they literally fell together. Others I manipulated a bit or I just took them apart and began again. One image is a stack of linoleum nails and the other is group of tiny ball bearings. The sculptures are less than 2” big but I used a macro lens and these images can be blown up quite large where I think they have the most impact. I call these my ‘magnetics’ series. Other versions include upholstery tacks, thumb tacks, washers, lock washers, push pins, ball chain, nails and v-nails.”

Neva Setlow’s New_Morning. (Courtesy Photo)

Many find the area’s idyllic landscape a draw. “I will showing one of my most popular photographs titled The Face Of Winter – taken in the estate section of Southampton,” Dempsey shared. “It is printed on metal, my medium of choice lately. It creates a bright, almost surreal appearance.”

“Scotland native Jim McGarvey will be showcasing from his recent series of people highlighting human emotion,” Dempsey added. “Our poster image selected for the exhibit is from photographer Danielle Leef entitled Out On A Limb.“

The Winter Art Exhibit opening reception will be held on Saturday, February 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. Many of the artists will be in attendance and readily available to chat about their masterpieces. There is no fee to attend the opening.

Paul Dempsey’s The Face Of Winter. (Courtesy Photo)

In addition to the Winter Art Exhibit, SAA hosts a Memorial Day Show, Labor Day Show and Fall Art Show (November). The organization also spearheads a fine outdoor art show at the Art in the Park (July) held at Agawam Park in Southampton, as well as an annual collective members show at the Town Hall in Southampton (December and January) annually.

For those looking to work on their skills, SAA sponsors a duo of classes taught by professional artists. A life drawing class led by Linda Capello is presented on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while an all media workshop taught by SAA President Dom Lamontanaro takes place on Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m.

Southampton Cultural Center is located at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton. For more information, visit southamptonartists.org.