STUMBLE UPON: Five Artists I Discovered This Summer at Art Hamptons

One of my favorite events of the summer is attending Art Hamptons in early July. As anyone who follows me on Instagram knows, I take a ton of pictures, snapping my way through the show of everything and anything that catches my eye. But it takes a few weeks for that sensory overload to settle, allowing me to focus on those favorite artists who make me wish I had an unlimited supply of empty walls. So, drumroll please, here are my 5 favorite artists I discovered this summer at Art Hamptons.

Kathryn Milillo

Love me a beautiful realistic painting. There I have said it. I don't always want to see abstract works, despite the fact that they are enjoying enormous popularity at the moment. Artist Kathryn Milillo states that she hopes "to convey the pure joy that eyesight" brings to her life, adding that she is "constantly amazed at color's ability to dazzle." In her artist's statement, she quotes Hans Hoffman's description that "in nature, light creates the color. In pictures, color creates the light." Her work just makes me happy.

Andrew Myers

Sometimes it is the medium that fascinates and that is what grabbed me about the art of Andrew Myers. I marvel at what he creates with simple screws. On his website I learned that one of his favorite memories is that of a blind man experiencing one of his works for the first time. The man ran his hands over a large 3-d portrait made with thousands of screws and "his blank expression suddenly transformed into a warm smile. He could feel what others could only see." To fully experience Andrew's work, one needs to touch it as well as see it. Fascinating.

Choi Soo Jeong

As is so often true, sometimes its all in the details. Artist Choi Soo Jeong takes photos of real-life nature and then reconstructs and combines them to create a fantasy world all her own. Close examination reveals extraordinary imagery.

Kerry Miller

Kerry Miller's work was not entirely unfamiliar to me. I had read about her in a magazine, but Art Hamptons was the first time I had seen it in person. So meticulous! Kerry sources old books (mostly ones discarded), choosing them for their illustrations, and then cuts them up to make "book sculptures". She only uses those illustrations found within the original book--adding color with inks and watercolors when she feels that the original illustration needs enhanced. She sees her work as a means of giving an old book new life, allowing the viewer to experience it in a new way.

Duncan Johnson

Reading over this post, it has become clear to me that I am obviously drawn to artists that make something new from nothing. Duncan Johnson's recent body of work is constructed entirely from wood from landfills and construction sites in Vermont. His work has aspects of drawing, sculpture and painting and he says that it reflects his many interests from quilting to architecture. I love it for its beautiful color and texture.

I hope I have shared something for you to love too.

All photographs by Lynn Byrne.

Art, Color, Montauk and the Hamptons, New York AdventuresLynn ByrneAugust 10, 2015Andrew Myers, Art Hamptons, Choi Soo Jeong, Duncan Johnson, Kathryn Milillo, Kerry Miller