Today, on so  called "giving Tuesday" I'm compelled to write a short note about ReachingU.  I've been lucky enough to have been part of this wonderful team of volunteers for a few years.  They openly give of their time and work tirelessly to open doors and provide opportunities for children and those in need of a hand.

This year's event marked their 15th anniversary of what grew from an idea to give back and make the world a better place - starting out as a simple garage sale - to what is now a well run major influencer supporting a broad swath of causes and contributing to several organizations which are approved after passing strict due diligence measures. The mission is to promote initiatives and strengthen organizations that help Uruguayans living in poverty.We promote initiatives and strengthen organizations that offer educational opportunities so that all Uruguayans living in poverty can develop their full potential.
With a number of member branches that have sprouted over the years, fundraising events held every year worldwide have become increasingly successful over time.  I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the NY Gala which this year honored famed Uruguayan born architect Rafael Vinoly.   His foundation also  generously contributed to the evening's fundraising efforts.  

​As usual, the hours of work behind the scenes from the host chairs, committees and volunteers showed. There were several donors who contributed to the auction, including several other artists.  I had an amazing time fun time made all the better from the chance to attend with friend and colleague Angel Naula, president of Naula Workshops, meet the warm and engaging Vinoly and a chance to chat with the very cool (and gracious) Sebastian Arcelus from House of Cards and Madam Secretary.

But more important than all the fun and glitter, I'm anxious to hear the stories of how the results from the night will make a genuine difference in the lives of so many.   Feel lucky and honored...

   Please take a moment to check out their site and all they do by clicking on the logo below.  Thanks!

Four local artists who make a seamless connection between nature and the abstract will be showing at Ashawagh Hall on December 10th and 11th.  Their work includes abstract painting, ceramic sculpture and prints from a variety of techniques including monotypes, solar prints, fish prints and photography.  In addition to what promises to be a stunning collection of larger wall pieces, they will be creating an “art-boutique” with the idea that fine art can make fine gifts.  

ANAHI DeCANIO moved with her family from Uruguay to New York when she was a child.  She is a multi-disciplinary artist working in a variety of media, including award winning product designs.  Her work is part of private and corporate collections in the United States, Europe and Latin America.  Winning numerous awards in national juried competitions, she has participated in group and solo exhibits across the US in several galleries and museums.  Her work has been published in a number of publications, including The New York Times and TIME, and has been used in several TV and motion picture productions.  Anahi is also the Creative Director of ArtyZen Studios and founder and curator of eco-friendly art and design show eARThHAMPTONS.  She is an active participant and volunteer in several charities and art organizations.

​“Every brushstroke, color, element, or scratch as symbols of the marks left behind by life events and the passage of time” -  She explores this concept by applying countless strokes of paint and occasional collage elements and gilding creating intricate abstract landscapes.  Art imitating life - some of these layers are part of the story but remain hidden, some subtly reveal themselves in small glimpses.  Inspired by nature as well as urban settings, the results are richly textured surfaces exploding with color and nuance. 


SARAH JAFFE TURNBULL moved to the East End in 1981 from Vermont, where she had practiced law and been involved with community issues of health, civil rights and criminal justice.  She continued her involvement in public service while raising a family.  She began working with clay around ten years ago and started exploring sculpture about five years ago. Sarah’s ceramic sculptures are deceptively metallic looking due to the glaze, which implies a strength that on closer observation belies vulnerability.  Some of the forms are architectonic, but off balance, creating a different kind of tension.
Her prints, both monotypes and solar, work with color and movement- some peaceful and others edgy.  Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues, the most recent being the  2016 Long Island Biennial at the Heckscher Museum in Huntington, NY, and the internationally juried exhibition of solar plate prints at the Alex Ferrone Gallery in Cutchogue, NY.


ANNIE SESSLER’S prints have been featured in the New York Times, on the CBS Sunday Morning Show, in Dan's Papers, Edible East End, Manhattan & Brooklyn, on the menus of the Red Lobster restaurant chain, in the East Hampton Star , EH Press and on OneKingsLane.
Her Japanese inspired original Gyotaku ink impressions are hand rubbed onto cloth, while her line of digitally reproduced works can be machine printed onto fabric or fine art papers. These fine reproductions can include alterations to color, form and scale. They can also form the basis or skeleton of mixed media drawings and collage. The show will include framed and loose prints, along with excerpts and abstractions of her traditional fish prints. Annie lives and works in Montauk.


JOHN TODARO’S award winning photographs are widely collected. His work in on permanent display at Southampton Hospital and at the Harold McMahon Medical Center in Amagansett. In 2014, his photograph “Aperture” was selected for the cover of Mark Doty’s “Deep Lane,” and his work has been published by The New Yorker, Unicef, Shutterbug, Crain’s,  Men’s Journal and other magazines.  In the ’70’s, John studied with master printer Anthony Nobile, gaining inspiration from Nobile’s studies with Minor White and Paul Caponigro. He also worked as a ranger for the National Park Service, cataloguing the collection of 19th century photographs at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
John is most known for his landscapes, but at Ashawagh the focus will be on a compelling new collection of semi-abstractions with a particular emphasis on botanical forms. This work (rendered in both color and monochrome) is unified by simplicity of form and a distinctive lyrical voice. For interested collectors, there will be a large group of “first prints” along with a full selection of miniatures and unframed work.  John works year round from his home-studio in East Hampton.