Bob Sullivan Paints Long Beach in Dan's Cover Debut

This week, accomplished East Hampton painter Bob Sullivan discusses his Dan’s Papers cover debut, “Long Beach North View,” local inspiration and more.

A Conversation with Bob Sullivan

Tell me about this piece. Where is it and what inspired it?

I painted “Long Beach North View” in 2022. It is 12” x 16”, painted in oil on a wood panel and was sold to a private collector.

The view is facing north on Long Beach off Route 114, west of Sag Harbor, where the North Haven peninsula begins to widen out into Noyac Bay. This location is also a favorite gathering place for sunset photographers, sunset gazers and those people who like to stack sea-worn rocks in columns.

I sailed the Peconic Bay system for 16 years and I’m never disappointed by the beauty of the unseen or “hidden Hamptons.” The variety of natural and man-made subject matter as well as the vast amount of coastline is always inspiring. Being familiar with the view from the water of a given location often makes it easier to paint when my feet and the easel are in the sand.

Can you talk about your process? Do you always paint oil en plein air?

I paint in oil, usually on stretched canvas or linen but carry wood panels if I’m traveling or if its windy. I use Canada balsam turps and walnut oil, but I’ll switch to white spirits and sun-thickened linseed oil if I want the painting to set up quicker. I start with a thin wash to establish my composition in a light and dark value study. I then use my biggest hog bristle brushes to block in the half tones and start building up the paint. Once I’m pretty sure my composition is working, I’ll apply accents and highlights with medium-sized red sable brushes while trying to avoid the little sables until absolutely necessary. Little details tend to drain the liveliness from my work.

I prefer to paint from plein air rather than photos, but I will often take a photo during the session and consult it on location or later at home. The appeal of plein air is the ever-changing resources of light and scenery. The only resources available in a photograph are limited to the instant where and when the shutter was clicked.

How has being on the East End influenced your art and creativity? Where else do you like to paint?

The astounding light and marine based views out east just keep on giving. Additionally, the lists of available painting organizations, museums, exhibition spaces and galleries on the East End are long and varied. I am or have been a member in a half dozen different painting groups and been part of many more workshops and seminars. The weekly offering of openings and exhibitions out here ranks right up there with some big cities.

I’m so grateful for the community of practicing artists here on the East End and for its positive attitude that I’m privileged to be part of. Recognizing someone’s talent in a painting and then meeting the artist face to face creates a terrific bond. I can imagine how strong the bond was for those ex-urban New York School painters who moved here in the ’60s when the place was barely a step up from a wilderness.

My career has been blessed with opportunities to paint in lots of locations and my favorites include Florence and Tuscany; Ireland’s west coast; Argentina’s lake district; Stonington, Maine; Sun Valley, Idaho; Wolf Creek, Montana; Kauai, Hawaii; and Gloucester/Cape Anne, Massachusetts. I love them all, but if I had to choose my favorite, it would be the East End of Long Island. There’s no place like home.

What are some of your greatest artistic accomplishments?

After Pratt Institute’s graduate program in Visual Communications, I worked in Manhattan as an Art Director for Children’s Television Workshop and then Foote Cone Belding on Madison Avenue; and later as a visual creative director for Gannett Outdoor where the advertising was displayed 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide!

I have been honored to have one-man shows at the Amagansett and East Hampton libraries as well as The Present Day Club and The Nassau Club of Princeton, New Jersey. I am proud to have my work hang in many private collections and to have completed numerous painting commissions. Recently, I won first place for the second year in a row at the New York State Bus Safety poster competition.

Do you have any shows or projects happening now or that are in the works?

I am presently intrigued by the non-objective character of the ab-ex movement in conjunction with a representational style as pioneered by artists including Louis Finkelstein (1923-2000). I expect to exhibit some of my results at LTV Studios in a show scheduled for spring 2026.

Where can people find your paintings online and/or in-person?

Please pay a visit to my website, bobsullivanart.com. I show at The Lucore Art gallery in Montauk and in numerous group shows at Ashawagh Hall in Springs, LTV Studios East Hampton and the Montauk Artists Association’s Depot Gallery.

Do you have anything to add?

 I consider appearing on the cover of Dan’s Papers to be a major artistic recognition, which is for me the realization of a longstanding personal goal. It is an honor and a privilege. Thank you.