The Watermill Center and Estia’s Little Kitchen are pleased to announce “Flora II,” an exhibition of new works by artist Piper Bangs. “Flora II” is a series of intimately scaled oil paintings of wildflowers and cultivated plants that the artist encountered during her visits to The Watermill Center, Quail Hill Farm, and Estia’s Little Kitchen. The exhibition opened at Estia’s Little Kitchen on Monday, February 13, 2023, and will be on view to the restaurant’s patrons through May 14, 2023. All proceeds from the sale of the works will support the artist’s emerging career and The Watermill Center’s mission and programs.
“My first contact with Piper’s work was at a high school group exhibition in San Antonio, Texas; maybe she was 16 years old at the time. Instantly one felt the sensitivity of her line, and I immediately started purchasing works. It would not be going too far to say that Piper is a prodigy in the realm of botanical illustration. Prodigies are not necessarily prodigious; Piper is. Since her initial days at The Watermill Center in the summer of 2022, Piper created an astounding 70 botanical oil paintings…and counting.” – Noah Khoshbin, Curator of The Watermill Center
“Flora II” builds upon her solo exhibition, “Flora,” presented during The Watermill Center’s 2022 Annual Summer Benefit. Her solo debut featured paintings inspired by the plants and flowers from The Watermill Center’s Clementine Hunter Garden. During her show, she had the opportunity to meet Chef Colin Ambrose of Estia’s Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor, NY. Colin has a long-standing relationship with The Watermill Center, particularly as Chef for its Artist’s Table Brunches and Summer Gala Benefit Dinners. They talked at length about Piper’s work and Colin’s rich history of presenting artwork at Little Estia’s. The conversation eventually segued into a discussion about Estia’s garden and Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, NY., where Colin sources various spices and produce. The natural evolution of their talk blossomed into “Flora II”.
“The exhibition will celebrate each plant’s unique beauty and location,” Piper states. “Through my meditative painting process, I allow myself an interpretive hand to filter into and throughout each composition. This technique allows for a mixture of naturalism, observation, and improvisation. By using an intimate scale, tranquil background colors, and delicate compositions, I hope to share each plant’s understated dignity with the East End community.” Artistic Director, Robert Wilson.
For more info, visit www.watermillcenter.org
