Work on Monday: “Blue Sharpie...” by Scott Hewett

This week Work on Monday looks at “Blue Sharpie, Louse Point” by Scott Hewett—one of the Hamptons’ most interesting representational artists and a Dan’s Papers cover artist. The painting is an excellent example of Hewett’s pop-infused style of realism and his talent for capturing the unique East End light.

Work on Monday is a weekly look at one piece of art related to the East End, usually by a Hamptons or North Fork artist, living or dead, created in any kind of media. Join the conversation by posting your thoughts in the comments below and email suggestions for a future Work on Monday here.

Blue Sharpie, Louse Point
Scott Hewett (Sag Harbor, b. 1965)
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 36 inches, 2006

Hewett’s “Blue Sharpie, Louse Point” features a well-worn wooden boat floating in the shimmering waters off Louse Point in Springs. The boat is ideal subject matter for Hewett, who excels at painting pealing paint, pitted metal and objects in general decay from age and use. The artist works from photo reference, which helps him create strong light effects, as demonstrated on the water’s reflective surface in “Blue Sharpie, Louse Point.” The distinct sections of color in the water and weathered surfaces on the boat are exactly what defines Hewett’s style and gives his work that hyper-real, pop sensibility.

The scene is one devoid of people or animals, but life is suggested through objects left behind, whether it’s the blue towel draped over the stern, the red fishing basket or the bold, yellow, seaweed draped ropes that moor the boat to an unseen shore. One can almost hear the water lapping against the sides of this small, single engine rowboat.

Meanwhile, a blue sky and more traditional landscape unfold behind the boat, with several large houses spread out along the shore. It seems unlikely the homes could belong to any fisherman who might use this boat, so we join him across the bay to admire them from afar.

Through April 2013, Scott Hewett will be showing Small Works at The Golden Eagle Artist Supply, 14 Gingerbread Lane, East Hampton, 631-324-0603. See more of Hewett’s work at scotthewettfineart.com.