Timothy Bergstrom moves his drippy line off the canvas
The Amagansett artist uses a new technique to extend a mark-making style he has explored since 2010, alongside new shows by sailors and printmakers in Hamptons galleries.
By Zoe Harrison ·
Timothy Bergstrom stands before a canvas in the Hamptons, but the work hanging in Halsey McKay Gallery is no longer flat. The Amagansett artist is showing his sixth solo exhibition, Chiroforms, through November 29. This latest body of work pushes the physical mark he has investigated for over 15 years off the surface of the painting. The gallery at 79 Newtown Lane in the Village of East Hampton hosts the show, which marks a departure from his previous flat compositions.
Bergstrom’s visual language began in 2010 with a glue gun. That tool created the drippy, branching, string-like lines that defined his Glound paintings until 2017. A physical injury stopped him from making those specific works for several years. In 2022, he encountered a piece that led him back to the series. By 2025, he found a way to move the mark-making process into three dimensions, a shift that defines the current exhibition.
Nearby in Amagansett, Hamptons Juried is presenting its inaugural exhibition, The Energy of Light. The group show is on display through November 28 at ARC Fine Art, 26 Montauk Highway. The gallery’s opening reception coincides with the start of the public viewing period. Interested viewers can find more details at hamptonsjuried.com.
Halsey McKay Gallery also features works by Charles Manion in Hum of the Water. Manion is a longtime sailor who finds his artistic motives in the Montauk landscape. He spends equal time on the sea where he sails and surfs, and on the shores where he wanders. He gathers flotsam to materialize future artworks. His canvased sculptures are constructed vessels that aim to summon a calmness of observation while traveling across emotional and physical realms.
In this new body of work, Manion revisits his past. He connects sea to land by transforming a boat ladder originally built for his passengers into a stretcher for burlap. A design he previously saw in the water now serves as the basis for ethereal paintings. These works are designed to both grasp and return the viewer’s gaze.
In Wainscott, Tripoli Gallery is showing a solo show of works by the late Lucien Smith. The exhibition, titled Delay of Game, remains on view through November 23 at 26 Ardsley Road. On August 21, Smith made four Rain Paintings on an abandoned baseball field at Camp Hero in Montauk. That single session was closed to the public but was documented. His original Rain Paintings series in 2011 catapulted him into the art world with acclaim.
Smith chose to retreat to Montauk after that initial success. In 2020, he showed his Southampton Suite of Rain Paintings at the Parrish Art Museum. That marked his first solo museum presentation. The current exhibition at Tripoli Gallery continues the trajectory of his work from that period.
In Sag Harbor, The Garage at 133A Main Street will host an opening reception for their upcoming exhibit Wild Things on Saturday, November 14, from noon to 6 p.m. Keyes Art at 45 Main Street is showing works by Irina Alimanestianu and Walter Bobbie. Romany Kramoris Gallery at 41 Main Street showcases American studio glass, featuring handblown and sculpted works by artists from across the country. That exhibit remains on view throughout November. Sara Nightingale Gallery at 26 Main Street shows Great Good Fortune, featuring works by Stephanie Brody-Lederman.
In Bridgehampton, Stella Flame Gallery at 2385 Montauk Highway is showing an exhibition featuring American artist Lynn Matsuoka. Her son, Jesse Matsuoka, co-curated the show, which features her oil pastels on paper. The exhibition is on view through Sunday, November 15. On the North Fork, The Alex Ferrone Gallery at 25425 Main Road in Cutchogue is showing A Decade of Impressions by Dan Welden. The exhibit celebrates the gallery’s relationship with the printmaker and painter through a selection of paintings, prints, and mixed media works. It remains on view through November 22.
North Fork Arts Center at 211 Front Street in Greenport is showcasing 100 photographs in its inaugural Impact Photo Show. A blind jury selected the images. The show is on view through November 22. In Manhattan, Victoria Munroe Fine Art at 67 East 80th Street is featuring Constellations, with works by Sag Harbor resident Bob Weinstein. That exhibition runs through December 12.
