Fourth Annual Labor Day Landscape Art Exhibition Celebrates Light of the South Fork

A Portion of the Proceeds to Benefit The Nature Conservancy

East Hampton, NY — August 1, 2008 — Tom Steele and The Nature Conservancy are pleased to announce the opening of the Fourth Annual Labor Day Landscape Exhibition, titled South Fork Light, on Friday August 29, 2008. Works by fourteen notable East End artists explore the luminous energy and atmospheric effects of light on the East End landscape. The exhibition will be held at Ashawagh Hall, Springs, East Hampton on Friday, August 29th through Monday, September 1st from 10am to 5pm daily. A portion of the sales from the exhibit will be donated to The Nature Conservancy. The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Saturday, August 31st from 5pm to 8pm.

“The artists in the exhibition share a passion for the landscape, and in recognition of the need to protect our natural resources and open spaces, a portion of all sales will go to The Nature Conservancy to assist them in their work for these special places on the South Fork” said photographer Tom Steele, organizer of the event. The exhibition focuses on the East End’s exquisite light and diverse landscape which includes ocean beaches, farmlands, dunes, bays, salt marshes, fresh and salt water wetlands, coastal and maritime forests, and more.

The works on exhibit include traditional representational landscape paintings, impressionist and abstract paintings, drawings, tapestries, fused glass sculptures and large scale photographs that are up to seven feet in width. “The diversity of artists and disciplines represented in this exhibition are common only in that the artists are inspired by the East End landscape” said Tom Steele, “…a landscape that has an enchanting lyrical quality, energized by the often lucid and atmospheric light that is characteristic of the East End.”

The fourteen exhibiting artists are: Casey Chalem Anderson, Barbara Groot, Gail Kern, Michelle Margit, Gordon Matheson, Mary Milne, Barbara Pintauro, Leo Revi, Joanne Rosko, Eileen Dawn Skretch, Tom Steele, Pamela Topham, Walter Us and Pamela Collins Focarino.

This exhibition reflects the continuing relationship and dependence between artists who are inspired by the landscape and conservation groups. Nature as subject matter for many artists is quickly disappearing as open space and sensitive ecosystems are encroached upon. The work of these artists promotes awareness and an appreciation of the natural beauty and fragility of the landscape, and ties in to the mission of The Nature Conservancy to preserve nature and protect life.

“The Nature Conservancy is delighted to be a partner in this exhibition,” said Nancy Kelley, executive director of The Nature Conservancy on Long Island. “Artists like these help make significant contributions to conservation in that they raise the level of awareness of our magnificent landscapes. In addition, we are thrilled that our work on the East End has also helped protect some of the places from which they have drawn their inspiration.”

The Nature Conservancy has long been involved in protecting critical habitat including places like the Atlantic Double Dunes, Accabonac Harbor, the Montauk moorlands and grasslands, Napeague, Northwest Woods, Northwest Harbor, the Long Pond Greenbelt, Scallop Pond, North Sea, Quantuck Creek in Quogue, Western Flanders Bay, the eastern Pine Barrens and the remaining forested groundwater recharge areas of the South Fork.

In addition to preservation, the management and restoration of our key ecological areas - forests, dunes, bays, harbors, and wetlands – is essential.

Ashawagh Hall is located at the corner of Springs Fireplace Road and Old Stone Highway in Springs, East Hampton. For more information about the artists or the exhibition call 631-987-7005 or visit www.EastEndLandscapes.com. For more information on The Nature Conservancy call (631) 329-7689 or visit www.nature.org/longisland.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.