We were recently in the Hamptons for the Amagansett Fine Arts Festival and had such a wonderful time. The artists were phenomenal and we hung out with old friends and made some new ones as well.  Of course I want to share our trip with you so here are a few photos. 🙂

We rented this adorable little cottage via Airbnb.com. Stays in the Hamptons can be pretty expensive and since we were going to work all day and only be sleeping there we wanted something affordable. 

The cottage in Sag Harbor was perfect, and it even came with this adorable little bunny that greeted us morning and night. I called him my “good luck bunny.” 

We celebrated our 3rd anniversary a little belated at The Backyard Resturant at Sole East Resort in Montauk. What a lovely environment. The vibe is beach chic, relaxing and hip with clean and simple food and rooms.

After dinner we headed down to the beach to watch the 4th of July fireworks. Lots of people had gathered and made bonfires in the sand and grilled smores. 

Time for work! We set up our tent and display the day before the show so we could sleep in a little the next day (yeah right. of course I wake up at 5 am with show jitters!). It takes us about 2 hours to do the full set up… and a little longer in 90 degree heat. Luckily we were one of the first ones and could unload the car right in front of the tent. 

Thanks to the Mr. we usually have all we need to make it as easy as possible for us. Art shows are hard work. It involves physical labor many hours of selling your art. Last year we did 17 of these but I’m doing a lot less this year though because I’m so booked with commissions I don’t have time to prepare or spend weekends away from the studio. 

This particular show was a high caliber show. The paintings were amazing and I wished I could have brought a few home. It’s a tough market for artists these days. Galleries have taken a huge hit and don’t want to invest in new art which have “forced” a lot of artists to get out of their comfort zones (aka studio) to sell their art themselves. It’s tough selling your own art. It’s your heart and soul. 

{the view from another pair of broken sunglasses}

Many artists will sleep in their cars or in tents nearby to save money. Artists pay a lot of money to take part in shows. I think just my lodging and show fees added up to 1000 dollars for Amagansett. That doesn’t include meals or gas which I haven’t dared to add up yet. If I hadn’t taken up a full-time job a few months ago I wouldn’t have been able to do this so I don’t put judgement on artists doing whatever it takes to follow their dreams. I admire that and am proud to be one of them. 

More than ever it’s important to support artists and this quote by Rebeckah Joy Plett really rings true more than ever:  “When you buy from an independent artist, you are buying more than just a painting…You are buying hundreds of hours of experimentation and thousands of failures. You are buying days, weeks, months, years of frustration and moments of pure joy… You aren’t just buying a thing, you are buying a piece of heart, part of a soul, a private moment in someone’s life. Most importantly, you are buying that artist more time to do something they are truly passionate about; something that makes all the above worth the fear and the doubt; something that puts the life into the living.”

We did get in a few hours on the beach. I wished I could have visited it more because they are absolutely breathtaking. 

{my kind of comfort food from The Golden Pear in Sag Harbor}

We enjoyed some fantastic seafood while in the Hamptons, including my favorite breakfast – lax on bagel. Yum! We had yummy coffee from Jack’s stir brew every morning and we also indulged in some good ol’ comfort foods after long working days in the sun like New York pizza and the latest “it” burger. 

{Jimmy Buffet’s yatch parked in the Sag Harbor where we stayed…}

I kept looking around for celebrities and apparently they are all around the Hamptons but I didn’t see any. We did see Jimmy Buffet’s yatch “Continental Drifter” in the harbor though, and for a moment I was contemplating skipping my art show and jumping on board instead. To be honest, I would have been happier to see the houses belonging to Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Renee Zellweger… since they were just down the road. Oh the tease.

Overall we had a fantastic time and we look forward to doing it again next year! 

For instant behind the scenes photos, follow me on Facebook and instagram (@studioEriksdotter).

xo,

e.