Wet Paint Studio Art Exhibit at Osprey's Dominion

Osprey's Dominion is one of our favorite wineries since years before their expansion of their tasting room. We love the casual and fun atmosphere and the combination of more complex, award winning wines you'll want to sip on their own with bargain fruity picnic wines, including the Strawberry Wine, and their inexpensive Chardonnay, Regina Maris, which makes a perfect house white.

Even though I'm pregnant, we still make Osprey's a regular stop because there is always live music and plenty of room to picnic and let our toddler run about.

This weekend we got lucky and happened to catch the Wet Paints Studio Art Exhibit. Their were only a few artists there, and only one really impressed me: Shannon Elkins of Medford. Her work has a lot of energy. Some of Elkins pieces are tighter and others have looser brushwork and a more abstracted feel, but there is a consistent sense of style throughout the work on display. Her figure studies are wonderful and I would have loved to purchase her sunflowers or one of the landscapes she had on display.

She is also the founder of Art From Our Heart, a benefit for people suffering from diabetes.

Wish we were in the market for an original oil painting right now!

Greater Port Jefferson Arts Festival Small, But Has Potential

Today we went to the 2008 Juried Arts Festival held by the Greater Port Jefferson & Northern Brookhaven Arts Council.

It was tiny--just about a block. There were a number of fine artists, all of whom were very open to conversation and some of whom had interesting pieces, but no one with whom I absolutely fell in love. There was also one jewelry artist I think is wonderful.

Port Jefferson used to hold this as an annual event and then it disappeared for years. So, despite a small start, the festival has huge potential to grow (assuming everyone can find a place to park).

Overall, the best show I've seen this spring in the Mid-Suffolk North Shore area, in terms of quality of crafts and the number of booths, has been the one at Deepwells Farms from Preferred Promotions. They have it again this July so I will be there.