Editor’s Note: There are quite a few art galleries in Easton but only one of them will serve you a perfect Basque seafood stew and a glass of Trisaetum Vineyards’ pinot noir while you look around. And that gallery would be Amy Haines’ Out of the Fire cafe on Goldsborough Street. While it is not a novel idea to show art in restaurants, few bring to the table Amy’s curatorial mission and critical eye. Since Out of the Fire opened almost 15 years old, she has sought out some of the region’s most exceptional artists and sponsored their work by using the restaurant’s tall walls and controlled lighting to brilliantly display their work. Over the next few months, the Spy spend time with some of them to help put a spotlight on their art and the important role Out of the Fire has played in the life of the visual arts on the Eastern Shore.
Oxford’s Howard Lapp always had a unique advantage over many other struggling artists over the last forty years. Not only did he have a day job, but a vocation that would bring him to the world’s great art centers on a weekly basis as a commercial airline pilot for US Air. This allowed the remarkable luxury of viewing and learning from the masters, but also gave him a totally new perspective on the use of different landscapes and the people that live in them.
That is one of the reasons that Howard’s work has focused on two completely opposite landscapes – the Island of Maui in Hawaii and the small town of Oxford where Howard and his wife, Diane, have lived off and on for more than twenty years. In his interview with the Spy, we focus mostly on his Oxford work, which will be on display at Out of the Fire starting next month (Howard’s Hawaii work is currently on view this month). Howard talks about his artistic response to the special challenges that come with the Eastern Shore terrain, his relationship with Oxford, and when it needs to move on to the next project.
This video is approximately three minutes in length. For more information about Amy Haines and Out of the Fire artists, please click here.
https://outofthefire.com/about-us/our-artists/
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