Mark Wilson Named Best in Show and Awarded a Solo Exhibition at ARC Fine Art; Adam L. Straus Receives $1,000 Juror’s Choice Award
EAST HAMPTON, NY, UNITED STATES, November 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Hamptons Juried has announced the award winners of its inaugural exhibition, The Energy of Light, naming Mark Wilson Best in Show for Passing Summer Storm (2022) and Adam L. Straus the Juror’s Choice winner for Clouds 1 (2022). The awards were presented October 30 at ARC Fine Art.
Wilson will be featured in a solo exhibition at ARC Fine Art in spring 2027.
Passing Summer Storm captures the moment a summer storm breaks over an expansive landscape. A stand of trees anchors the composition as clouds of blue, white and soft pink dissolve into expressive splashes and drips of paint. Reflected light and illumination breaking through the storm speak directly to the exhibition’s theme.
“In Passing Summer Storm, the constant between the past and the present was the quality of light,” said Wilson. “To make that apparent, I used paintings made here on the East End by William Merritt Chase and Thomas Moran. By using the same color palette and painting out from there, I created one landscape that compressed the past and the present. I’m thrilled to be named Best in Show and look forward to my solo show at ARC Fine Art this spring.”
Adam L. Straus received the $1,000 Juror’s Choice Award, selected by juror Adrienne Ruger Conzelman, for Clouds 1, which depicts drifting clouds illuminated in gold and amber against a deep blue sky.
“In Clouds 1, I was interested in simply looking up and removing the earth from the image,” said Straus. “I wanted to capture light at its most fleeting, not long before dark, when the sky glows gold before it fades. I’ve always found that time of day particularly amazing on the East End. To be chosen for the Juror’s Choice Award in an exhibition called The Energy of Light is a real honor.”
“The strength and range of work submitted for our inaugural exhibition exceeded our expectations,” said Kurt Giehl, Co-Founder of Hamptons Juried. “Mark and Adam’s paintings are very different in approach, but both capture the power, atmosphere and emotional quality of light in a way that embodies what we hoped The Energy of Light would celebrate.”
“It was exciting to see how much the artistic community on the East End is thriving — which we tend to think about as history, but as this exhibition and event showed is very much alive,” said juror David Netto. “The range, the breadth of talent and styles across all the many submissions was truly impressive. Being part of Hamptons Juried was a wonderful experience and opportunity to make contact with the community of artists we live among every day, and to give the best of their work the recognition it deserves.”
THE EXHIBITION CONTINUES THROUGH NOVEMBER 28
The October 30 opening drew a standing-room crowd. The Energy of Light features paintings, sculpture and mixed-media works by artists from across the North and South Forks, reflecting the distinctive coastal light that has inspired generations of East End artists. All works are available for purchase. The exhibition is sponsored by Wölffer Estate Vineyard.
The People’s Choice Award is determined entirely by public voting. Visitors may cast a ballot for their favorite work through November 28, with the winner announced at the Closing Reception on Saturday, November 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
What: Hamptons Juried 2026 — The Energy of Light
Where: ARC Fine Art, 26 Montauk Highway, Amagansett, NY 11930
Dates: October 30 – November 28, 2026
Closing Reception: Saturday, November 28, 5:30–7:30 PM
Coffee with the Artists: Saturdays throughout November (11/7, 11/14 $ 11/21), 10:00 AM–11:00 AM
Exhibiting Artists: hamptonsjuried.com
ABOUT HAMPTONS JURIED
Hamptons Juried is a juried art exhibition for artists who live, work, maintain a studio or have a meaningful artistic connection to the East End of Long Island. Founded by Jennifer Soccorsi and Kurt Giehl and presented at ARC Fine Art, it provides East End artists with a selective platform where their work can be discovered and collected. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Springs Food Pantry.
Kurt Giehl
Hamptons Juried
+1 917-628-0282
info@hamptonsjuried.com
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Media gallery
