Kat O'Neill Discusses Making Art & Running The White Room Gallery

This week’s cover artist and co-owner of The White Room Gallery in East Hampton (3 Railroad Avenue) Kat O’Neill talks about a lifetime of creativity, finding inspiration for her photography and what it’s like being an artist and running a successful gallery in the Hamptons.

A Conversation with Kat O’Neill

Tell me about this photograph. Where and when was it taken? Who is the person fishing?

It was taken at Main Beach in East Hampton at the close of a gorgeous summer day back in 2014. I had no idea who the fisherman was. As what often happens with a camera, we were just two strangers sharing a moment. I waited a while to see if he caught anything, but eventually I lost the light.

In many photos, you have a real knack for finding spectacular or quirky compositions within things others might pass without notice. Can you talk about that? Have you always looked at the world differently?

I’d like to think so. I was a creative kid, packing my bags at 3 to hit the road. Only got as far as the corner. I sometimes wonder if only I had crossed that street. Along the way I’ve won awards for writing short stories and plays. I wrote a dark, comedic play about the post office titled Short Fuse and a Michigan postal worker who happened to be visiting Manhattan gave it a standing ovation and sent me a note weeks later saying the play changed his life. I was afraid to ask for more details. I also worked as a creative director in the city for years. I find beauty and narratives in construction sites, rocks, hydrants, tombstones. I can spend hours in a cemetery.

So, you go out looking for subjects and it is also spontaneous?

Yes. I like to go into the city with my camera and just walk the streets. Amazing what you can find. Graffiti has always interested me. I try to shoot something every day. A large part of my oeuvre leans towards the grittier side of life; abandoned buildings, under bridges, dumpsters but I am also drawn to unique characters.

I see you have also dabbled in painting and mixed media works. How did you land on photography as your go-to medium?

I got my first real camera in high school. There was something great about checking the negatives for those hopefully cool shots, but obviously digital has its advantages. I must have shot 500 cranes. I love the juxtaposition of them with skyscrapers. I also shot a series of change where I photographed openings and closings of businesses, but that became too sad when a year later a nascent spirit now says, “out of business.” Photography is my favorite medium because it gives you a tangible memento of something that intrigued. Sometimes later you wonder why you were so intrigued but that’s part of the process. I often use photographs as a base for my mixed media pieces, and abstract painting is just a joy. I like not knowing where it will end up and finding new weird things to paint with. I also photograph my paintings to have a documentation of the piece as I often paint over them.

You, of course, are also co-owner of The White Room Gallery. What’s it like juggling being an artist and a gallery owner, especially when showing your own stuff?

My business partner Andrea McCaffferty and I are both artists, so we occasionally put a piece in if it fits the theme, but we don’t really get to show our work often because we have so many artists to exhibit and there is only so much time in the year. We sell our work on our online platforms but we both find it difficult to have the opportunity to produce enough as running a gallery is no nine to five gig. Of course, being part of the community in such a creative way certainly has its rewards. One of my favorite quotes about art for the creator and the collector is from Twyla Tharp, “Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.”

A lot of your pictures, like this cover, are very heavily influenced by the East End environment and light. Can you talk about the magic of this place when it comes to creating art?

Jackson Pollock put it best when he said the light in East Hampton has a slightly other-worldly quality. I particularly love how it creates reflections in the various waters and brings accents to old machines, fishing nets and pilings, elevating them to something beyond utilitarian. The light of Long Beach in Sag Harbor calls to me all year long, especially when it freezes over and I could go to the docks in Montauk every day and find something new to shoot. I have a passion for commercial fishing boats. They say so much without saying a word.

Are you excited about any upcoming shows at the gallery?

Absolutely. Summer hits hard and fast every year, but we have Every Picture Tells A Story that just went up with the opening reception this Saturday, 5–7 p.m. Next, we have Red Carpet featuring Nelson De La Nuez followed by Hot Shots featuring Russell Young. You can see all the info on the gallery site under “exhibitions.” We attach a charity to each exhibit, sometimes it syncs with the theme, sometimes it’s a random pairing, but it adds a significance to the exhibit. “Art is the highest form of hope.” The famous quote from Gerhard Richter really just sums it up. Love and hope rival the best four-letter words in the lexicon. Unless, of course, you just got rear-ended.

Visit thewhiteroom.gallery for more art and info about The White Room Gallery, or visit katoneillgallery.com.