2026 Wet Paint Festival Artists

  • Karen Kemp

    Karen Kemp is a printmaker and oil painter living on the
    North Fork of Long Island, NY.  She draws
    her inspiration from the local landscape and shoreline, and  from nature.   Karen studied at the Rhode Island School of
    Design and at the University of New Hampshire and has a BA in Art History. 
    Karen regularly exhibits her work and is represented by Danette Koke Fine Art
    in New York, NY, and the Radius Gallery in Missoula, MT.   Her artwork has become a part of private and
    corporate art collections worldwide.   

  • Steven Behler

    Steven Behler is classically trained at Long Island’s Stevenson Academy of Traditional Painting, Steven Behler spent his early career illustrating romance book covers and keeping the tradition of portraiture alive by drawing charcoal portraits from life for summer visitors to his hometown of Port Jefferson.  “When I do a portrait, I’m touching lives in a way that creates history.  I make memories happen, and I really enjoyed that.”

    Seeking new challenges, he shifted
    his passion for painting to landscapes. He took his “studio” outdoors, producing nature- inspired artwork to capture the fleeting beauty surrounding us. “The challenges of painting outdoors is exhilarating, yet peaceful, all at the same time”

    And so, you will often find him in every season somewhere on the North Shore of Long Island documenting Nature's splendor and honing his craft. Don't hesitate to
    stop to chat. Behler enjoys talking about art as much as he enjoys making it.

  • Laura DiLeone

    Laura DiLeone is from Setauket, New York, and studied painting and Illustration at The Art Institute of Boston. She currently teaches Visual Art at the Elementary level. In her works she often references the Impressionists, inspired by the way they create light in their works. “The challenge of capturing natural light is captivating to me. I look for color where it normally isn’t. Color and light become the focus in all my paintings.”

  • Bob Stone

    Bob Stone refers to himself as a "student
    of the natural world, and especially the internal and external life of humans". Stone has shared his thoughts and perceptions through teaching at Suffolk County Community College, writing, drawing and painting.

  • Pam Bensin

    Pam Bensin a painter who works in a variety of mediums. She creates pet portraits in pastels,human portraits in oils and watercolor, and landscapes.

  • Mary Planding

    Mary Planding raises awareness about our Ocean's need for protection by celebrating its beauty with her art. Using watercolor and soft pastels, her art inspires the viewer to look beyond the surface and take positive action towards saving our Blue Planet.

  • Maya Trimner

    Maya is a portrait artist whose work explores the quiet complexity of human presence. Working across charcoal, pastel, watercolor, and oil, she is drawn to the subtle shifts of expression, light,
    and mood that make each face uniquely alive. Her portraits aim not only to capture likeness, but also the emotional atmosphere surrounding a person—the
    fleeting moment when a gesture or glance reveals something deeper. While portraiture remains her primary focus, Maya is beginning to expand her practice beyond the studio. Plein air painting presents both a challenge and an invitation: a chance to step into unpredictability, shifting light, and the broader language of landscape. Embracing this discomfort is part of her evolving artistic journey. Through both portrait and landscape, Maya’s work reflects a commitment to observation, vulnerability, and growth—an ongoing process of learning to see more clearly, both in the world around her and within the act of painting itself.

  • Rachel Flynn

    Rachel Flynn has always had a passion for art. Beginning in childhood and continuing through high school, Rachel sought to continue her knowledge of art. She studied at Queens College, obtaining a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree in 2016.
    Rachel continues fulfilling her joy with oil paints, but also enjoys learning
    new skills such as mosaics and fabric painting.Rachel has exhibited in Pushing Paint: Acrylic and Oil Painting at the National Association of Women Artists (2019) and People's Choice Salon Show at Greenpoint Gallery (2018). Rachel has also participated in the Montauk Art Association Art Show on the Green in 2022 and 2023. In 2023, her work was featured in the Salon Show at Art Groove in Soho, NY. Rachel had a solo show at the Glen Cove Public Library in May of 2024. Recently, Rachel was a part of the Love is... Show at Long Branch Arts Center located in Long Branch, NJ (2025).

  • Esther Marie Caponigro

    A key aspect of Esther Marie’s creative process is her ongoing exploration of the diverse landscapes we inhabit.  Her work is a quiet dialogue with nature, rooted in cycles of growth, decay, and renewal. Drawing inspiration from earth, water, and sky, she views these elements as threads that bind us to the world. Through travels from Long Island to distant terrains, she gathers impressions, translating sensory moments into layered visual forms.  Her multimedia approach, with drawing at its
    core, captures not only nature’s appearance, but its deeper rhythms and unseen patterns. Lines recur like whispers of movement and change, tracing time and the shifting pulse of the land.  Each piece begins in representation, then moves through abstraction, until what remains is an obscured reflection of both the outer world and its hidden truths. Her work follows the endless push and pull shaping our environment—suburb and field, city and meadow—forever reshaped.

  • M. Tatiana Eck

    M. Tatiana Eck is an architect, developer and visual artist.  Inspired by thresholds and boundaries, pattern
    and structure, and the juxtaposition of built form and landscape, her drawings
    and paintings seek to describe through color and gesture, inference and
    abstraction.

  • Kenneth Drasser

    Kenneth Drasser is a semi-retired commercial artist whose professional background includes editorial
    art direction, mural painting, signage, vehicle identification and graphics. Besides painting in his preferred medium, watercolor, Drasser also enjoys custom hand lettering, calligraphy and studying figure drawing in a studio setting.



  • Myunja Anna Koh

    Myungja Anna Koh is an artist who has been actively working since her debut at the Poly gallery in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2011. Outside of fine art, Koh works in art business, children's book publishing, education, and blogging.

  • Judy Stone

    Judy Stone began her career as a biologist, and later transitioned to art. She first illustrated anatomy books that have sold worldwide. Stone later started taking art courses and workshops regularly. From here, her interest in landscape and desire to paint Plein Air evolved. Stone has shown her work locally in a number of galleries and museums, and has had a solo show in Jaffrey, New Hampshire



  • Eileen Kelly

    Eileen Kelly has been painting as a means of self expression since 1975. As a formally trained mathematician, Eileen has found deep artistic connection while exploring the purity, depth, and abstraction of mathematics. Working with numerous master artist throughout her life has allowed her to develop her own artistic voice. Eileen Kelly's expressionist process portrays an emotional response to her inner experience as she is often overtaken by universal energy and the natural beauty that surrounds her. Throughout the creative process each piece may turn toward Impressionism or Abstraction.

  • Rita Broughton

    Rita Broughton is a native New Yorker and lifelong professional artist She has explored many facets of the arts, from commercial to fine art. Each piece she creates reflects the diverse experiences and influences she's gained through her work in textiles, graphic design, and decorative painting. Inspired by the places she's traveled and the natural beauty of Long Island, her passion is to create art that brings joy and highlights the beauty we often overlook in our everyday lives.

  • Jim Minet

    Jim Minet's studio is located on Long Island - where he works in Oil, Acrylic, and Watercolor.

    Currently a member of the Salmagundi Club in Manhattan, originally educated at Long Island University / CW Post and graduating with a Bachelor of Science

    Jim studied art at The Art Students League in Manhattan, NY and went on to teach art at the well-known cultural institution, The 92nd Street Y (92Y) in Manhattan up until 2017.   Currently Jim teaches at The Nassau County Museum of Art's "Manes Center" on Long Island NY, and Mills Pond Gallery (historical site and gallery) in Saint James, NY.

    Jim is a Brand Ambassador for Holbein Art Materials /Legion Paper/ General Pencil and exhibits artwork regularly.

  • Lynn Staiano

    Lynn Staiano is a licensed psychotherapist and a self- taught, local Long Island artist. She began her art journey exploring with acrylics, later transitioning primarily to oils, with occasional work in pastel and watercolor mediums. Lynn is particularly drawn to abandoned or fractured houses, barns, bridges, charming old windows, intriguing doors and elements of antiquity. “I am am moved to express well-lived environments, loved, forgotten, and vintage items. I enjoy both plein air and in studio painting, with a focus on landscapes and still life compositions.” Lynn has been honored to have her work displayed in many solo shows and exhibits across Long Island. She welcomes assorted commission subjects.

  • Abby Armada

    Abby Armada is a painter based on Long Island, working primarily in oils. Her practice moves between the studio and the outdoors, painting from life whenever possible and finding that direct observation keeps her work grounded and honest. Her plein air sessions inform her studio paintings, lending them a quality of light and presence that is hard to manufacture from memory alone. Her current body of work focuses on the intimate, often overlooked moments of parenting and early childhood. She is drawn to ordinary domestic scenes and the way small things, a toy on the floor, a shaft of afternoon light, can carry enormous emotional weight. Her work can be found on instagram @abbyarmada.jpg.

  • Loretta Cerame

    Loretta Cerame is a professional artist living in East Northport, NY. After retiring, she began painting with acrylics, oils, mixed media & gouache. Her work engages with themes of love, peace and unity.

  • Leona Zimmermann

    Leona Zimmermann has been a Long Island based artist since childhood. Her focus has been the beauty of nature, the changing seasons, and the appreciation of the simple things in life. From memories of childhood to the fine moments of adulthood, Zimmermann invites the viewer into an immersive experience to absorb the beauty of the moment.

  • Brianna D'Amato

    Brianna D'Amato uses oil painting to capture the beauty of landscapes, sea life, and wildlife. With rich colors and intricate textures, my artworks invite viewers to connect with the natural world.

     

  • Loretta Oberheim

    Loretta Oberheim is from Long Island, New York and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textile Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Oberheim's work is an evolving exploration of mental health and disabilities. She draws inspiration from her training as a carpet designer, the Abstract Expressionist movement, and the street art of New York. Oberheim's art is featured in the Haegeum Gang Theme Museum, the Belskie Museum of Art, Tortuga Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Long Island, and One Art Space Gallery.

  • Kaitlyn Lukach

    Kaitlyn Lukach is a Long Island-based multi-media artist, working in costume and decorative craft as well as abstract and landscape painting. With a background in theatrical costume design from the Design/Technology program at SUNY Purchase, Kaitlyn’s work is informed by love for the character of both people and places, observed with a perspective that balances reverence and humor. Kaitlyn’s goal as a fine artist is to create works that offer the viewer a moment of awe or joy, and she especially enjoys the creative process of collaborating on commissions to create pieces that will uplift the collector each time they encounter the piece in their home.


  • Flo Kemp

    Flo Kemp is a local Setauket artist specializing in “Painterly” etchings. She markets her etchings at many outdoor art Festivals (such as Gallery North’s
    Outdoor Art Show). However, she finds inspiration in the natural beauty around us and thus use oils to enjoy the immediacy of color when painting plein air. There’s a freshness to a work painted outdoors which sometimes leads to a etching
    composition.

  • Chloe Ruiz

    Chloe Ruiz a Long Island-based art educator. She is captivated by the idea of worlds beyond our own and places filled with unique characters and strange creatures. Ruiz describes her artistic style as "a reflection of the things I love most. Blending the creepy with the cute and the fantastical with the familiar."

  • Marjy Goldstein

    Marjy is a self taught mixed media artist whose work captures the quiet beauty of local landscapes and the expressive character of animals. After a successful career as an executive in the consumer products industry, she returned to her life long passion for painting, bringing a refined perspective to her work. Inspired by coastal surroundings and every day moments, her pieces reflect a soft, timeless sense of place.

  • Stanley Zucker

    Stanley Zucker started painting following a long career as a physician-scientist. His portraits and painting scenes often have narrative elements, and have been exhibited at the Emma Clark Library and the Jazz Loft.

  • Paula Pelletier

    For Paula Pelletier, art took a back seat to raising a family and her professional career as a programmer/analyst at Stony Brook University. Now retired, watercolor is her primary activity. She has taken art courses over the years at the Palo Alto Art League, the Stony Brook University Art department and The Atelier at St. James. She has studied under local artists Bill Graf, Christian White and Sungsook Setton.

    Her paintings have been accepted into juried shows at the Art League of Long Island in Deer Park, the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, the Huntington Arts
    Council, Gallery North in Setauket and the Mills Pond Gallery in Smithtown. Her
    watercolors have appeared in shows at the Setauket Neighborhood House, Stony
    Brook University, Whisper Vineyards and the South St Gallery. She has also
    participated in Gallery North’s Wet Paint Festival. I am a long-time member of
    the Setauket Artists.

  • Silvia Maria Rey

    Since Silvia arrived in the United States from Cuba in 1961, she has lived, studied, and worked in New York, now residing on Long Island with her family and pets. As an artist and writer, she is constantly challenged by self-doubt, questioning whether her work is finished or good enough. Despite technical limitations or feasibility issues, she persevere in her creative endeavors, welcoming both accolades and criticism to grow and improve.

    Exposed to fine art and literature from a young age, she visited galleries and museums and was encouraged to explore my creativity. With the guidance of dedicated teachers and mentors, She developed the skills to find satisfaction in my work. Creating art heals my soul, bringing joy and freeing me from life's worries. Her work in landscapes, still life, and figures has been exhibited in solo and
    group shows, with pieces in private collections, marking my journey of
    self-discovery and fulfillment.

  • Elise Weber

    Elise Weber is a local painter inspired by the landscapes of Long Island and New York State. She often paints en plein air, traveling to outdoor locations and creating works on site. During the winter months, she continues her practice in the studio using her own photographic references. Working primarily in gouache, Weber creates small yet expressive original paintings that capture fleeting moments in time. By rarely producing prints, she preserves the uniqueness of each piece and its connection to a specific place and moment. Through her work, she hopes to share her appreciation for Long Island and New York while creating meaningful connections with viewers. Her artwork is available at Firefly Artists Gallery in Northport and right here at Gallery North! When not painting, Weber teaches studio art, photography, and ceramics at a local high school.

  • Emma Gaedje

    Emma Gaedje is an illustrator working out of her home studio in NYC. Her work captures the whimsy and emotion in a snapshot of life, focusing on all natural subject matters from animals in nature, to people in metropolitan spaces. This practice grounds me in the moment while I’m creating, and helps form stronger bonds with those experiences. She accomplishes this by carrying a small sketchbook and simple tools as a low pressure way to create on the go. She is documenting, collecting, and thinking through the page. Once she is back in the studio, she uses watercolor to create her own patterned paper and knives and glue to shape my illustrations. She explores texture in 2D pieces, and dimension in 3D pieces, bringing her plein air inspirations back to life, allowing the viewer to experience the moment for themselves.



  • Stephen Rosa

    Stephen Rosa grew up in Stony Brook, NY, and has various degrees in Fine Arts and Art Education. He believes that all art is the universal language of expression. A landscape is about capturing a moment in time from a subject that slowly changes over lifetimes. It may be a personal or impersonal place, but he views it as painting that day, that moment in time, and how that place makes you feel. The light and cloud cover constantly changes how it is reflecting off of the landscape, and needs to be seen in person when mixing paint. It’s important to see the natural composition.

  • Craig Marta

    As a young boy, Craig Marta attended drawing sessions at the Brooklyn

    Museum School, and summer sculpture class at Hofstra University where his early creative efforts drew recognition and praise from his teachers.

    He has studied fine art at the New York State University College at Buffalo, and found his most valued training at the Art Students League of New York.

    An excellent draftsman and an acute observer of the human form, Marta continues to explore the subtleties of the figure, landscape and portraiture through a broad range of materials and techniques.

    The artist has exhibited on Long Island at One Square Mile Gallery in Sea Cliff, Lizan-Tops Gallery, East Hampton, The Heckscher Museum of Art at Bryant Library, Roslyn, and at The South Street Gallery, Greenport. In New York City his work has been included in exhibitions at The Art Students League and the Salmagundi Club.

    His work is represented in private collections, and the collection of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

  • JoAnn Nichols

    J. C. Nichols is a native New Yorker with deep roots in the Three Village Area. Growing up a Poquott summer resident, she returned to raise a family, and build a life in art and graphic design. The beauty of the area has been a life long inspiration, capturing nature, light, and life’s quiet details.

  • Rima Potter

    Rima Potter is a Long Island
    based artist. She brought her background in photography into her painting style
    and is interested in capturing a moment through her creative lens and
    translating it into oil paint. What she loves about the medium of oil paint is
    that she is able to layer colors allowing each color to peek through the next.
    She enjoys Plein air painting and the process of capturing light and shadow
    within the natural landscape. Her hope is that the viewer will be able to pause
    for a moment and that the image resonates with them.

  • Jeff Potter

    Jeff Potter began expressing himself through drawing and painting
    as a young child and continued his exploration through visual arts in high
    school. Jeff tries to find a connection with our human experience and the
    natural world we exist within. He works in graphite and oil paint and finds the
    process of creating works with natural materials very satisfying.

  • Ramya Ram

    Ramya started painting as
    a hobby and a self-taught artist and exploring different kind of painting medium. She joined Gallery North couple of years ago as a volunteer and past couple of years participated in “Deck the Halls” exhibition.

    Art is her way of connecting with the community and nature. She enjoys capturing my travel memories in and around Long Island onto canvas. She particularly enjoys doing  landscape paintings. Additionally, She also volunteer at Splashes of Hope since past one year where she does focal point projects in Acrylic on Panels and also participate in community mural projects. Currently they are painting a tunnel at Smith Point Beach in Shirley.

    She also love creating custom small scale paintings for family and friends on their special occasions. She is hoping to  explore art and bring beauty and joy and contribute to the community.

  • Kaestin Hsiao

    Kaestin Hsiao is a painter, poet and singer residing in Bushwick, NY. He splits his time painting between Brooklyn and Long Island,
    pulling inspiration from the vibrance of city life and the tranquility of his family’s barn turned studio in Setauket.

    Kaestin earned his MFA degree in Sonic Arts from Brooklyn College, exploring the synergies and pushing the boundaries of where visual art and sound communicate. His paintings are vibrant and abundant in strokes - much like the instruments of a band coming together in a single composition. Color is his voice. 

  • Paula Sherman

    For Paula, it all started at a square redwood picnic table in the shade of a tall oak on her back patio, her and a cigar box full of Crayons. That’s where her love of color began. Whether painting in oils or watercolor, no matter the subject, color is the underlying factor in how my paintings feel.

  • Lynne Reid Young

    In Lynne's previous life, she raised five children and worked as a criminal defense lawyer in California and North Carolina. Since moving to Setauket nearly four years ago, she has been an art student at Mary Jane van Zeijts’ Studio 268. She is most comfortable painting with oils but have a list of other mediums and methods to try. She feels very fortunate to have landed in such a vibrant art community offering limitless opportunities to learn about and create art and a group off artists who were welcoming. 

  • Additional Artists

    Andrea Moon, Christine MacDonagh, Liz Kolligs, Patricia Cosentini, Annette Napolitano, Joseph Napolitano, Frank Loehr, Isaacs Darryl, Drigo Morin, James Engelbert, Dino Rinaldi, Bizzy Acierno, Daniel Ryan, JoAnn Gushue, John Koch, Clifford Huffman, William Low, and John Tuttle.