Jay Sylvester’s creation, “Leviathan, 2023,” is a sweeping, awe-inspiring work created from bittersweet, honeysuckle and black elder vines that’s 90 inches tall by 192 inches wide by 5 inches in depth, hung on brackets..
Inspired by the ancient sea serpent, representing the embodiment of chaos, could it be some nature spirits were peeking out from the locally sourced material?
“When I moved here to Brookhaven hamlet, I became enamored of the invasive vines,” he explained of his property and subsequent walks in neighborhood wooded areas. “I thought, ‘I should see what I can do with this.’ I liked the tension and form of the flow working with the material in a meditative state. Like jazz.”
A kind of ethereal element does emanate from the vines.
Sylvester opened his Bellport Village gallery officially on Friday as guests swooped in, sipping drinks and conversing with the artist. “Leviathan” was his biggest, but he had 22 pieces in total; he sold seven.
He works on his art mostly on the floor, as the spread-out pieces of vine are twisted into form. He gets so absorbed in the process, three hours can go by, he said.
Sylvester was a 2023 Saint-Gaudens Fellowship nominee and has exhibited at Marquee Projects, Bellport; The Oculus in New York City; Guild Hall in East Hampton; Steelhead, Santa Monica; PAC Gallery, Patchogue; Sticks & Stones Gallery in Amagansett; and The New York Culture Club. His art also be seen at CEED’s Sculpture on the Trail this year; it was featured there in 2023.
His work has been commissioned by private collectors and corporations.
The gallery, located at 10 Bell Street, Bellport Village, is right next to Kreb Cycle; Sylvester encourages visitors to stop in and discuss his work.
“If the door is open, I’m here,” he said.
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