Montauk Pioneer - May 30, 2008

You had to feel the beat as you rolled along the Old Montauk Highway last Friday. The red and white Art Festival signs placed parallel to the sapphire blue Atlantic under an azure sky were definitely the colors for this patriotic holiday weekend. For an artist or photographer, this glorious vista was perfect to paint or shoot!

Approaching the village, the wide ocean views greeted you with more signs the Montauk Fine Arts Festival. The large field had artists enjoying a gracious and enthusiastic welcome from Anne Weisman, Treasurer and Fundraising Chairwoman of the Montauk Artists' Association. Organized, and accommodating, Bill Kinney, the organizer of the show, planned and executed a juried Fine Arts Festival where the highest quality of art was displayed. Friday afternoon and evening were an exciting bustle of fervor, as artists arrived in vehicles packed to the gunnels with precious cargo. Almost all of the artists at the festival were staying at the Albatross Motel.

Artists from 31 states traveled from all sorts of distances. Many had never been to Montauk, several knew each other from other exhibits and reconnected, while others were here for the first time. One artist from Springfield, Illinois, exclaimed, "I'm just overwhelmed! Montauk is beautiful!"

Jubilant and pretty, Cathee Clausen, known as "Cat," filled her booth with works in bold, vibrant colors, giving each of her human figures power and soul. It was electrifying. Her portrait of Abraham Lincoln will be on the cover of the Springfield Visitor's Guide for 2009, celebrating President Lincoln's 150th birthday. Jim Peterik, Cat's partner, who founded the band Survivor and wrote Eye of the Tiger for Rocky III, was also there. Exhibited in Cat's booth was Peterik's Fender Telecaster Guitar, called "Eye of the Tiger;" painted, of course, by the amazingly talented gal from Springfield.

Mark Brown from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, filled his booth with exquisite still life oil paintings where reflections were the dominant theme. The sculpture and design of Philippe and Jacqueline Guillerm, originally from Paris and now Camden, Maine, who work in wood, bronze, fiberglass and concrete, displayed their unusual and fine violins and guitars.

Producing a print that is somewhere between a photograph and a painting describes the painterly photography of versatile artist Linda McAdams from New Jersey. Many booths reflecting unusual and beautiful jewelry captivated both women and men. Greenwich, Connecticut's Deborah Armstrong's stunning, textured sterling silver pieces with gemstones and 18 carat gold accents drew a lot of attention.

Each booth offered interesting pieces in the twelve different categories of art creations. As Hither Hills resident Honore Fontes pointed out, "This show is a knockout!"

Excitement created by the art rumbled through the crowd as pieces were purchased and conversations focused on one piece of art after another! An enchanting oasis of imagination and talent had definitely been found in Montauk on this holiday weekend.

One of the most amazing booths had a canopy covering half of the opening in order to keep it as dark as possible. Inside, ingenious artist Doug M. Durkee, hailing from Cincinatti, Ohio with a studio in Burlington, Kentucky, exhibited samples of his unique home furnishings called Infinity Art. They included a shimmering, contemporary grandfather clock, as well as his "Endless Time" clock, along with three tables, all of which contained lights placed at various intervals in a highly refractive chamber to create sculptured light tunnels. They were beautifully crafted and amazing. All of his pieces are designed from wood, stainless steel or aluminum and always with lights. Each year two hundred of the top artists in the USA are honored and invited to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Last year on April 18th, Durkee was a part of this elite group.

Esteemed photo impressionism artist Paul Elson, whose sensitivity and elegance are reflected in his prints, said that The Fine Arts Festival "Displays the highest quality of Art on the East Coast Circuit."

And as Bill Kinney expressed, "Our fabulous community of nationally recognized artists depend upon your community's support in order to maintain the quality we bring."