Fourth annual National Art Show best in show winner announced

The East End Arts Gallery is thrilled to announce the winner of The Figure, their fourth annual national juried art show-gone-international. Guest jurors Kathryn Markel, owner of Kathryn Markel Fine Arts in New York City, and in Bridgehampton; and Peter J. Marcelle, Director of the Gerald Peters Gallery in New York City, and Santa Fe, NM, and owner of The Peter Marcelle Project gallery in Southampton, NY, selected fifty-five works from 714 two-dimensional artwork entries from across the U.S., with artists from as far away as Berlin and Paris entering into this juried competition and showcase. Of the fifty-five selected for inclusion in the show:

Only one was chosen as ‘Best in Show’: John by Diana DeSantis of Whitestone, New York; the work is a creation in soft pastel on gator board. DeSantis will receive a seven-day stay in East End Arts Artist Residence, plus $1,000 cash, and inclusion in a group show at The Peter Marcelle Project, art gallery in Southampton.

Additional awards were granted to three outstanding works, including:

First place, which went to When Painters Go Bowling oil on canvas by Kristen Hadjoglou of Eastport; second place, to Search Mode oil on linen panel by Toby Haynes of Cornwall, England; and third place, to Waiting Room photograph by Anica Shpilberg of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.

For more information about The Figure click here.

Artist Statement from ‘Best in Show’ winner Diana DeSantis of Whitestone, NY: “The uniqueness of a person, the grace and beauty of the human form compel me to paint people.”

The fifty-five works selected for The Figure show will be on display from Aug. 7 through Sept. 23 at the East End Arts Gallery, located at 133 East Main Street in Riverhead. The Figure will open with a reception on Friday, August 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is invited to view the exhibition and meet the artists at this free event; refreshments will be served. This event is part of East End Arts JumpstART event, an evening of free public arts including murals, poetry, performances, live music, dance, and art installation, all taking place throughout Downtown Riverhead from 5:00 to 10:00 PM that same evening. For more information click here.

East End Arts Gallery Director Jane Kirkwood comments: “I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of The Figure show. From everything I’ve seen, it promises to be a terrific exhibit.”

East End Arts Executive Director Pat Snyder comments: “We are pleased to be providing artists, both local and national, the opportunity to exhibit in a nationally recognized show with judges of formidable stature. Our Annual National Juried Art Shows have been an exciting addition to the important and sophisticated art scene on Eastern Long Island.”

The Figure exhibit is sponsored by Martha Clara Vineyards and Hamptons Magazine.

Programs of the East End Arts Gallery are made possible with public funding provided by the New York State Council on the Arts, Suffolk County, and the Town of Riverhead.

For more information, contact Gallery Director Jane Kirkwood at 631-727-0900  by email.

Source: East End Arts press release dated July 9, 2015.