Along Our Shores

On view in East Hampton, New York is Neill Slaughter’s exhibition of plein air paintings, titled “Along Our Shores.” The show is organized by art historian Terry Wallace, and is located where Percy Morgan (the nephew of Thomas Moran) painted next to the Gardiner Mill. This is near the graveyard where the Moran family is buried and across the pond from Thomas Moran’s home, which is now a museum.

“This particular exhibition primarily consists of paintings inspired by the natural environment where I live, along the eastern end of Long Island in the Hamptons,” Neill said. “A number of the paintings were begun on location, although as often is my practice, I tend to take an artistic liberty by editing and or reworking the paintings, making decisions intuitively as to what will best serve the painting, whether that be altering various components of a painting’s composition, color etc.

“Even though the paintings appear representational in appearance, I actually think more abstractly as I work and my approach is less concerned with capturing an accurate facsimile of what may have initially inspired me to create the composition; instead, I’m more interested in an expressionist approach, particularly in regards to brushwork, often including some impasto, that enlivens the painting surface, while also indicating a sense of urgency of trying to capture a fleeting moment in time. The intrinsic quality of paint on canvas found in expressive brushwork and or the serendipity often occurring in the handling of watercolor intrigues me as much as the scene that inspired me to paint it.”

“Along Our Shores” is on view through September 15 at the Gardiner Mill Cottage Gallery.