Music in my ears, a brush in hand, re-instituting tradition among the dearest of friends, Gallery North’s Wet Paint Festival, in honor of Long Island artist, Joseph Reboli, once again brought me home, in more ways than one.
Sitting ever so casually, with my toes in the grass, I dusted off my boxes of paints and set up my freshly stretched linen, preparing myself for 3 back-to-back afternoons of nothing but taking in the beautiful scenery, talking about art and sometimes just life with the passerby, tuning out to the tunes in my headphones, and picnic-ing deli lunches with my best friend. Claiming our territory bright and early at Mill Pond, just left of the old Grist Mill, where the ducks, geese, and occasional swan are in charge, we set out to bring life to our blank surfaces. Artists painted under the trees and along the water, in Avalon Park, roadside near the Village Center, around the Harbor, and in and around Sand Street Beach. Everywhere you walked, there were new and beautiful things created right before your eyes.
Reporters from the Three Village Patch shot a beautiful short clip of myself, as well as a few of the other artists on Day 1 (of 3) of the festival, as we painted en plein air in the heart of Historic Stony Brook.
All paintings are currently on view at Gallery North (90 North Country Road, Setauket, New York, 11733), and available to purchase through a silent auction 10am-5pm Tuesday, July 12th and Wednesday, July 13th, as well as Thursday, July 14th – bidding ends at 7pm Thursday evening, during the closing reception. The reception, open to the public, will take place at the gallery, from 6pm-8pm (Thursday, July 14th).
Chrissie Rouse 