Local artists shows work at Westhampton Beach Historical Society

The old Raynor’s Garage on Library Avenue in Westhampton Beach, now demolished, will never looked as vibrant, friendly and colorful as in Liz Duerschmidt’s portrait of it, which is on display with some 15 other works by the same artist at the Westhampton Beach Historical Society until September.

In fact, many buildings in Westhampton Beach and the surrounding areas, some of which are now gone, never looked as full of life as in the local folk artist’s depictions of them. This is one reason why the Westhampton Beach Historical Society decided to feature her work in its summer art exhibit this year, according to Bob Murray, the vice president of the society.

Mr. Murray said that a collection of 16 of Ms. Duerschmidt’s paintings has been on display at the historical society’s Tuthill House Museum since June 20, and is available for viewing on Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Tuthill House is located on Mill Road in the village.

“We have a summer exhibit every year and we like to do exhibits that are of a historic nature every year,” Mr. Murray said. “We got the idea reading a newspaper article noting that Liz had always painted scenes that were fast disappearing, such as buildings in Eastport, Westhampton Beach and Quogue that are landmark buildings

“Some are gone, some are still there.”

One of Ms. Duerschmidt’s signature pieces, a portrait of the old Seely’s convenience store on Main Street in the village, which has now been replaced by Simon’s Beach Bakery, proves Mr. Murray’s point. Gloria Seely’s shop looks like a window on the past in Ms. Duerschmidt’s picture, with now-outlawed cigarette advertisements in one window and a friendly cat relaxing on the stoop.

Mr. Murray said that many of the paintings and drawings on display are on loan from private collectors, such as Herb Phillips, who owns Phillips Beach Realty on Main Street in Westhampton Beach. Mr. Phillips lent the Historical Society a painting of C&R duck farm, which was owned by his uncle, Howard Phillips. The farm was located on Tanners Neck Lane in Westhampton.

“My uncle took it over in 1950 and operated it as a duck farm until 1986, when Hurricane Bob blew down a bunch of buildings,” Mr. Phillips said, adding that the picture will become a family heirloom as his children also used to play on the farm. “The picture reminds me of my childhood.”

Ms. Duerschmidt’s artwork is available at the Fitzgerald Gallery, also on Main Street in the village. She noted that some of her pictures go for as much as $3,000 and that she has recently been having art shows at North Fork wineries. Prints of some of Ms. Duerschmidt’s work are available for purchase for $30 at the Tuthill House Museum, Mr. Murray said, adding that proceeds from the sale of the prints will go toward the Historical Society’s ongoing projects.

For Ms. Duerschmidt, who has worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for the past 29 years, the art-making process usually begins with a photo of the building she will paint. Since she first began making art in the early 1980s, Ms. Duerschmidt has used a 35 millimeter camera to take her photos. When she first started, she rode her bike throughout the area, capturing what she liked on her Pentax ME Super.

“I’m into nostalgia,” said Ms. Duerschmidt, who also drives a 1951 Chevrolet pickup truck. “It’s hard for me to accept the cold, fast-moving technological world.”

Her depictions of Winter’s Wharf in Westhampton Beach, the Grimshaw Building, also in the village, and the bas-reliefs on the Beach Lane Bridge, which was built with Works Progress Administration dollars, as well as the old Coast Guard Station on Dune Road in Westhampton Beach, all of which are on display in the museum, demonstrate Ms. Duerschmidt’s knack for identifying architectural and historical gems.

After snapping her shots, Ms. Duerschmidt typically sets to work on bringing her photo to life through her own artistic technique. She first captured local scenes with simple pen and ink, as in her rendering of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, set at nighttime and surrounded by big stars. Since the early 1990s, she has also worked in watercolor and acrylic on either canvas or paper. Most of her paintings are at least 24 inches by 36 inches.

Although Ms. Duerschmidt’s works are distinctive and unique—she said she admires artist Edward Hopper but has a style all her own—she said she is always pushing herself to try new things and never stick to one topic.

She has ventured off the South Shore to the North Fork, she said. While Ms. Duerschmidt grew up in Speonk and attended Westhampton Beach High School, her parents grew up in Polish Town in Riverhead.

“I consider all of eastern Long Island to be my home,” said Ms. Duerschmidt, who has lived in Rocky Point for the past five years.

Besides local structures of interest, Ms. Duerschmidt is also known for painting old-fashioned pickup trucks.

“The pictures are very realistic in terms of representing what is really there,” Mr. Murray said. “We’re just honored to have her.”