Westhampton festival draws national, international artists

Jackie Angus was looking for the perfect piece of artwork to give to her niece for a gift.

Looking through the paintings of contemporary artist Kelvin Henderson, Angus fell in love with one of the Maryland artist’s pieces titled “Wildflowers” on Sunday during the fourth annual Westhampton Beach Festival of the Arts.

“My niece moved to New Orleans two years ago. I just visited her this past winter. She has nice pieces of art in her home. I knew I definitely wanted to come here and get her a gift for her house,” said Angus, of Remsenburg, N.Y. “The colors in this painting are fabulous. ' Wildflowers' is a wonderful piece of art.”

The event was hosted by St. Mark’s Church located directly across the street from the art show held on the Westhampton Beach Great Lawn, at the corner of Main Street and Potunk Lane.

Bill Kinney, which helps promote the event, was excited to see the hundreds of art lovers perusing the 100 artists showcasing their work.

“We have artists from all over the world come here – Israel, Maryland, Colorado, California, Texas and South Carolina,” said Kinney, of Huntington, who is also a photographer.

According to Kinney, the Westhampton art show is the ideal place for individuals to explore original artwork from national and international artists.

“The location is perfect for an art festival. Westhampton is the beginning of the Hamptons. It’s very easy to get to this location,” Kinney said. “We have all types of fantastic art here – sculptures, mixed media, jewelry, photography, fabrics and paintings.”

Merry Lomba, of Port Jefferson, wanted to check out the art show because she’s in search of a piece of jewelry for an upcoming wedding she will be attending.

“I have the dress but I want to accessorize my outfit with a great necklace,” Lomba said. “I am looking for a red chunky necklace.”

Annick Bywalski, of Brooklyn, was mesmerized by Ron Stattner’s playful wire pieces constructed from copper wires.

“’The Clarinet Player’ is beautiful. It’s amazing that he created this with a pair of pliers,” said Bywalski.

Kinney said the art show is a great way to spend a day in Westhampton.

“People usually make a day of it. They come and see the wonderful art and close by are great places to eat,” Kinney said. “The art show is a fantastic place to come and see a lot of talented artists.”