New Gallery Has Rare Winter Debut in Water Mill

Winter was the perfect time for Lon Hamaekers to open his new art and furniture gallery at Watermill Ateliers in Water Mill.

When opportunity knocks, it's best to listen, he said.

"It was available and for me, it was the right time to do it," Hamaekers said. "You have to recognize the opportunity. This is the perfect space to create a gallery. I want to attract local people to a beautiful new space. Opening in winter will let me be ready for the summer."

Ron Hamaekers 20th Century Furniture & Art is an art gallery and furniture showroom. A gallery opening party was held on Thursday after being postponed a week because of the snowstorm. All of the furniture is hand selected by Hamaekers. He said each piece appeals to his personal aesthetic; he specializes in mid-century European designs and said he especially enjoys chrome and wood. Furniture can be seen at lonhamaekers.1stdibs.com.

The art in the gallery will rotate. Hamaekers hopes to meet "cutting edge artists" from the area to exhibit, he said. He launched the gallery's first exhibition with artists he already knew.

Included in the show are Sag Harbor artists and designers Cati Van Milders, Kevin Inkawich and Jeff Ricker. Van Milders is exhibiting ceramics. Inkawich has custom lighting. Ricker provided a series of hand-made vintage-look canvas bags.

Also on view are works on paper by Roz Cole and mixed media paintings by Roger Thomas Justice, who will have a solo show at the gallery in March. Hamaekers has represented the New York City artist for several years. The paintings combine writing on paper with pieces of painted canvas to form abstract works. Paint is thickly applied and visual repetition is part of the paintings, which can include collaged items.

"Roger Justice's art is progressive and he's the most talented artist," Hamaekers said. "He is a true artist. I think he'll be really big one day.

Also planned for the near future is a ceramics show featuring four to five artists. Van Milders and Bruce Sherman will be included.

The gallery is also a way for Hamaekers to embrace his own fine art photography. The current show includes two series of architectural photographs in black and white. Recent abstract photography is also on display. The photographs aim to transport the viewer by taking the familiar and making abstract compositions that only hint at the recognizable, Hamaekers said.

Layers of history that expose the past and capture the present feature in these works. The actual subjects include a billboard in Finland and a metal bench in a taxi stand in Mexico. The pieces are named "To the Past" and "Listen to the Silence." Each photograph focuses on layers created during the life of each object.

"We try to look at images that we know," Hamaekers said of masking the recognizable subject of his work. "I try to show different sides of reality and perspective."

Hamaekers chooses subjects to photograph that echo with energy of human activity already spent. He's attracted to capture ways of life that may disappear, he said. For instance, billboards covered by advertisements for concerts, store sales and events are being replaced by e-mail announcements, he said.

The subject of his photography is selected after days of exploring places while traveling. Only then does Hamaekers begin to photograph. His black and white series represents his long-standing love of architecture.   

Lon Hamaekers 20th Century Furniture & Art is open weekends from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment. The gallery is located at 903 Montauk Hwy, Water Mill. For information, call 917-838-4548.