Gwen O'Neil and Tommy May: Painting the Hamptons En Plein Air

Artist couple Gwen O'Neil and Tommy May have spent 12 summers painting en plein air in East Hampton, using the Long Island landscape as their joint studio. O'Neil, who grew up in the Springs after her family relocated from Manhattan post-9/11, creates intensely colored, swirling, and stippled paintings that offer a bold spin on pointillism. May employs a wet-on-wet method to produce brilliantly saturated coastal abstractions. The couple, formerly based in Los Angeles, moved their artist-run space Blue Door Gallery to Brooklyn's Boerum Hill in 2025. This fall, they will present new works in coastal cities: O'Neil debuts at Almine Rech's Monte Carlo location in October, inspired by Monaco's topography and Formula 1 presence, marking a departure from darker stains toward a lighter atmosphere. May's September show at Megan Mulrooney in LA is inspired by a sunrise fishing trip with his father, a fisherman, about a hundred miles offshore of Martha's Vineyard. They met at Savannah College of Art and Design, where both studied photography. Their outdoor practice embraces natural elements, with accidents like sprinklers and rain adding organic qualities to their work. May's painting includes a paw print from their late dog, Hampton, adopted in Savannah. The couple reflects on their creative process and the influence of their surroundings, including O'Neil's father's architecture studies and mother's interior design work.