(Long Island, N.Y.) Guests and art enthusiasts joined Scott & Diane Hewett, Yvette & Bill Mammes at Rugosa Restaurant for a special reception showcasing Artist Scott Hewett’s latest art work entitled “Scott Hewett Fine Art Presents Realism with a Pop” on Thursday, September 1st at Rugosa Restaurant in East Hampton.
Artist Scott Hewett now 46 creates his own vision with his paintbrush in one hand and his easel in the other painting bold pieces of art at his Noyac studio.
Originally from Bradford, Massachusetts, Scott decided to relocate to Sag Harbor to embark on his artistic career in 1988. After his studies and education in fine art he received a BFA with honors from Massachusetts College of Art and has been honored with many awards including the Tom O’Hara Award for Illustration.
Mr. Hewett’s fascination with the east end of Long Island offers a rich variety of scenes and subject matter to paint. His paintings are inspired from the farms, wooded areas, the shore, the lifestyle and especially the unique Long Island “light” which renders his subjects into vividly colorful paintings. A local landscape, a rusted old truck or a still life painting of everyday objects like a peeled orange or crayon box transports the ordinary into art and jumps off the canvas. Most incredible is the large-scale size depictions of his subjects.
Hewett’s style transcends simple photorealism by his use of almost hyper-real hues and strong contrast creating his paintings to pop with unusual sensibility. Scott collaborates dark and light shades and he often plays with complementary colors. “They fight each other,” he reveals of the contrasting hues “and that gives it more pop.”
Scott incorporates different media and alternating techniques playing with the level of detail in his images. Some areas of his art are layered and rich with detail, while others are left looser conveying more gesture. “It’s all experimentation,” he reveals “I’m very spontaneous with my work.”
He has been successful selling his artwork individually and privately leading him to do business outside of the traditional gallery and has found a home displaying his art at Rugosa restaurant in East Hampton soon.
His work is in many private collections and he is a member of the Artists Alliance of East Hampton.
For more information please visit www.hewettart.com.
Later that evening East Hamptonites enjoyed a screening of “Bombay Beach” at the Guild Theater in East Hampton hosted by Actor Alec Baldwin. I had a chance to interview the Director Alma Harel before the screening. Afterwards Director Alma Har’el joined Actor Alec Baldwin for a Q&A on the production of the film.
The synopsis of the film, ‘Bombay Beach’ is the rusting relic of a failed 1960’s development boom. The Salton Sea is a barren Californian landscape often seen as a symbol of the failure of the American Dream. First-time director Alma Har’el revisits this poetically fruitful terrain in her distinctive documentary ‘Bombay Beach.’ She captures a motley cast including a bipolar seven-year-old, a lovelorn high school football star and an octogenarian poet-prophet. Together they establish a triptych of American manhood in its decisive moments, populating the Salton Sea’s land of thwarted opportunity. True to her roots as a photographer, video artist, and music video director, Har’el brilliantly crafts an adamantly atypical and artistically innovative film. A dreamlike poem that sets the personal stories of these distinctive yet familiar characters to a stylized amalgam of observational documentary and choreographed dance. The score of the film was created by Beirut and Bob Dylan.
Director Alma Har’el was born and raised in Israel. She started her career as a photographer and a video artist.
While working in New York City and London her live video-art performances with musicians led her to directing music videos. Alma’s frequent collaborations with singer Zach Condon of the band Beirut brought her several nominations in film and music video festivals throughout the globe. The video for Beirut’s “Elephant Gun” was chosen as one of the best videos of the decade in 2010 by several publications.
She is most recognized for her ability to create images with a striking balance of emotions heavy hearted as much as they are joyful and playful. Director Alma Har’el currently resides in Los Angeles, California. ‘Bombay Beach’ is her first film.
For more information about the film ‘Bombay Beach’ please visit www.bombaybeachfilm.com.
Hamptonites gussied up with their designer duds fascinators and outrageous hats to attend the 36th Annual Hampton Classic.
The Hampton Classic is one of the largest outdoor horse shows in the United States and a premier destination for horse enthusiasts and equestrians. The Classic is a much-anticipated stop on the summer tour and closes the Hampton season as the social event of the summer. Now well into its third successful decade, The Hampton Classic Horse Show is in a class all its own both in the minds of spectators and horse people alike.
In 2009 the Hampton Classic became only the second horse show ever to receive the status of Heritage Competition by the United States Equestrian Federation. This prestigious status is reserved for competitions that have been in existence for at least 25 years and have provided for their communities as well as the horse community as a whole in an unprecedented fashion.
The Hampton Classic is proud to play host to the year-end finals of the very popular Young Jumper Championships. Horses ranging in age from 5 to 8 years old compete in their respective divisions after qualifying in a year-long, very competitive points race for their top prize of the season.
As the first U.S. stop in the East Coast World Cup League, the quest for those coveted spots on the World Cup Finals squad kicks off at the Classic. Guests and spectators saw some of the top jumper riders from around the world competing for some of the richest prize money offered in this country.
I had a chance to chat with President Dennis A. Suskiind who informed me that there was an exciting new addition to the schedule this year which is the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby. Likened to a “grand prix for show hunters,” the new competition showcased the magnificent beauty and athleticism of the High Performance Hunter.
On Sunday The VIP tent was filled to capacity with A-listers and VIP’s dressed to be seen and the gorgeous grand prix field continued to be one of the best show jumping arenas anywhere, while former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and current Mayor Michael Bloomberg arrived to delight photographers as always. McLain Ward won the $250,000 FTI grand prix for the third consecutive year and a record sixth time since 1998.
“This is the best show in our country,” revealed Ward, “I always bring my best horse because I believe that the event that is put on here is worthy of that. It means a lot to win here, it means as much for me to win this grand prix as any.”
For more information please visit www.hamptonclassic.com.
