Adriane Stark, Fine Arts Photographer Joins Hamptons Fine Art Fair

As a native of Long Island, Adriane Stark has been visiting the Hamptons since childhood. She has always been inspired by its inherent beauty. When she moved here permanently five years ago, the gorgeous natural landscapes and foliage opened a world of inspiration. She will be one of the featured artists during this weekend’s Hamptons Fine Art Fair at the Southampton Fairgrounds, which runs July 10-13.

While you may not be as familiar with her name, her photographic art is unforgettable. Stark is best known for her dynamic botanical images and striking architectural compositions.

“I was an art director and a creative director for my own design studio and during COVID we decided to move to Quogue,” Stark says of leaving the hustle and bustle of city life. “I was used to spending 10 hours in front of a computer. I’d been coming to the Hamptons for 30 years and it was a beautiful, calming place.”

The long hours finally became a soul-sucking process for Stark, who decided that she wanted to explore the Hamptons through her photographic lens.

“It was for my sanity,” says Stark, who has a massive photographic library, of the career switch. “There was all this beauty around me. It was the change I needed, the change that brought me joy.”

That change has also brought joy to those who experience her photography. She uses shades of black and white that she often enhances by hand to give her work more texture as would be found in nature. Stark’s work emulates artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. In Stark’s hands and through her lens her imagery is both exciting and comforting.

“Each day I walk my garden and marvel at the changes Mother Nature has given,” says Stark, whose work features images of the East End. “It is a form of detox from the digital world. I see things and make notes and mental notes to go back and photograph something. Every day I try to find ways to connect with what is around me.”

While it may not be correct to call her a nature photographer, she does present nature in a way that makes the viewer want to get lost in the images she shares.

“Reconnecting with nature feeds our minds, bodies and souls, enhancing our quality of life in profound ways,” Stark explains. “In capturing the abundant beauty in gardens and landscapes – it connects us to something essential, offering serenity and peace in our hurried lives. My work aims to create an authentically alive experience, reconnecting with the serenity and peace of the natural world.”

Stark’s photography is an evocative meditation on the natural world.  Intimate, immersive and visionary, her images speak a visual language entirely her own. Stark draws inspiration from her immediate environment, transforming everyday encounters into bold, arresting monochromes and lush, layered color fields. Technically meticulous and emotionally charged, her work bridges tradition and innovation, with a signature “four-color black and white” process that creates unexpected depth and almost cinematic dimensionality.

In her latest collection, Stark invites viewers into a world of wild vitality. Her exhibition will feature a selection of works, ranging from single-frame compositions, dynamic diptychs, and layered collages, all of which echo the rhythms of the natural world and celebrate its ever-present energy.

A Parsons graduate and former art director with a distinguished editorial pedigree, Stark has collaborated with The Museum of Modern Art, Random House, Viacom and The New York Times.

Stark’s work has been recognized by The Art Directors Club, The American Institute of Graphic Arts, The One Club for Creativity, The Society of Publication Designers and The James Beard Foundation. Her photographs grace prominent private and public collections, including the permanent holdings of the Cooper Hewitt and Smithsonian museums. She has exhibited in New York City, the Hamptons and Palm Beach.

This year’s Hamptons Fine Art Fair will showcase more than $200 million in works from nearly 600 artists.

Hamptons Fine Art Fair is at Southampton Fairgrounds, 605 County Road 39, Southampton. She will be at booth 220. You can purchase tickets and learn more at hamptonsfineartfair.com.

Fair hours are: VIP opening, Thursday, July 10: VIP “First-Look” opening preview: noon-5 p.m. and benefits Guild Hall; VIP opening preview evening: 5-9:30 p.m. and benefits the Parrish Art Museum; the VIP Collectors Day opening is Friday, July 11, with an early session from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; and the late session from 3-7 p.m.

General admission: Saturday, July 12, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 3-7 p.m.; and Sunday, July 13, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 3-6 p.m.

“I would hope that my work inspires the viewer to reflect and think about Mother Nature, the inventor of sustainability,” says Stark, who added that she is thrilled and honored to be invited to share her work at the Fine Art Fair. “To be in this show and share my vision of the Hamptons with others is a gift. I hope others see my work and want to experience the Hamptons I see.”

For more information about Stark, visit adrianestarkstudio.com, email her at info@adrianestarkstudio.com or follow her on Instagram at @adrianestarkstudio.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.