Dan's Papers - June 22, 2007 - Dan Rattiner's Ode to the East End, II

On June 25, the Ferregut Tower Gallery will once more be displaying Dan Rattiner's exhibition of line drawings, Ode to The East End, this time on the walls of the Southampton Inn's ground floor. "The owner of the Southampton Inn purchased one of the drawings from the first show and offered us the first floor for the second exhibition," the artist explained. Many of the drawings from the first show will be on display once more at the Inn.

Some of the most memorable drawings in the original show included "Laughing Man," which depicts a stately gentleman dressed up in a suit, holding what could be a copy of Dan's Papers and laughing out loud, his laughter personified as spiraling shapes traveling from his mouth up to the heavens. A true commentary on the summer women who speed around the back roads, "Potato Farmer" shows two women zipping past a potato farm, screaming, "WE SAID -- HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT FOR ONE OF YOUR POTATOES?" over the din of their sports car's roaring engine. Some of the works are pure fantasy, plucked from the imagination of the Hamptons' own literary dreamer, such as "Life Guard Sharks," which shows a busy Hamptons beach scene with a suspicious-looking fish looming out from behind the snack bar with the caption, "A SHARK TRIES SNEAKING UP FROM THE REAR." The subject matter is varied and speaks of Dan Rattiner's disparate experiences while living in the Hamptons in both the rough and tumble "off season" and the glitzy summertime. The most popular works focus on the lives of the Manhattan elite who travel out to the Hamptons for the summer, stumbling along dirt paths and lounging on the beach. Dan has been observing this strange breed with his keen eye and transcribing their foibles with his witty pen since 1960. When asked if he thinks the tone of his commentary has changed over the years, he replied, "not at all." However, he has noticed a change in the Hamptons since he began recording their history in the 60s. "I think the Hamptons have gotten hipper and younger," he said. "If anything, it is more excessive than it was, as only very excessive people can afford to buy houses here now." Along with the growing excess, the humor of a simple drive around the Hamptons has grown and, with it, the opportunity for gentle farce from his pen.

Dan will add at least one more whimsical cartoon to the new exhibition. "I have one in mind that I intend to draw and we'll add that one to the show," explained Dan. "It's called 'De-Icers,' as in airplane de-icers. I guess you could say that this one was inspired by flying in and out of the Hamptons." And, the artist assures his fans, "there may be more."

Ode to The East End will be on display at the Southampton Inn, at 91 Hill Street in Southampton, from June 25 to September 11. A reception for the artist will take place on July 7, from 5-8 p.m.