Hamptons Art Scene

Artists have been drawn to the Hamptons for more than a century,
lured by the pastoral vistas, endless seascapes and the shimmering light
reflected off the surrounding ocean and bays. Inheriting the proverbial
paintbrush from such venerable predecessors as William Merritt Chase,
Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollack, a new generation of artists has
risen up to express a contemporary sensibility of life amid the potato
fields and hedgerows.

Here are five to watch:

Steve Miller. With 36 solo shows around the world and his work
in many collections including Beth Rudin DeWoody’s and Amy and
Ronald Guttman’s, Steve Miller is a prolific artist with a celebrated oeuvre
behind him. While making his headquarters in a Tribeca loft (formerly
that of East End artist Jack Youngerman) and a Sagaponack potato barn
(formerly the studio of Frank Stella), these days the environmentally
conscious artist spends time in Brazil where he is giving Mother Earth “a
medical checkup” by diagnosing the Amazon rainforest, “the lungs of the
planet.” Like a botanist collects specimens, he collects images — actual
x-rays of jungle creatures from alligators to orchids — and transfers them
onto mediums from cotton rag to colored glass to surfboards. To further
make his point about the global compromise of wildlife, he often layers
over these with satellite images of the Amazon River basin, replete with
the alarming “fish bone” pattern of land clearing.

Christine Matthäi. A fine art photographer who makes her home on
Shelter Island, Christine Matthäi pays tribute to the raw natural beauty
of the East End. The sea is ever present in her work. In her latest pieces
she explores the emergence of life and light from the darkness of the
sea depths and – suggesting the shapes of human bodies—or are they
really delphinidae?—as they surface in ethereal shifting shadows. Using
a computer, she layers several photos atop each other to create her
mysterious images. “The symbol of water represents our subconscious,
that which lies beneath the surface, our limitless divine nature,” she
writes. She is represented by the Monika Olko Gallery in Sag Harbor.

Christa Maiwald. A former painter and sculptor, Christa Maiwald has
embraced embroidery as her medium of choice in her continuing quest
to confront social issues. “It’s such a domestic thing to do,” she says,
“so when I take themes like violence it makes a stronger statement.”
According to a review in the Huffington Post of her recent show at
Guild Hall: “Maiwald’s embroidery is not your grandmother’s.” In her
collection, Servitude, she embroidered 16 miniature maid’s uniforms with portraits of such employers as Thomas Jefferson and Martha Stewart, known for abusing their help.

Grant Haffner. A member of what some have called the “Bonac School,”
Grant Haffner’s moody acrylic paintings reflect the country roads, flat
landscapes and bodies of water he sees as he travels the South Fork roadways
in his pickup truck. His signature motif of slightly exaggerated utility
poles with power lines represent to him the area’s “fleeting landscape.”
Despite his local roots, he dreams of one day driving cross country while
documenting his journey through paintings.

Sue Heatley. Printmaker Sue Heatley makes editioned prints as well as
unique works on paper that incorporate printmaking methods, collage
and brushwork. Her charming and colorful patterns are rooted in nature
“like wind or currents or waves,” she says. Printed on sedishu, a delicate
Japanese paper, her works are “vaguely reminiscent of Matisse cutouts
or Prada dresses,” according to Vogue. Her latest works are mixed media
compositions whose vivid hues are influenced by the intense color she
has encountered in India. She is represented by The Drawing Room in
East Hampton.

by Lauren Aitken