Photographer Barbara Lassen and North Fork Chocolate Company chef, and painter, Steven Amaral will launch a joint show of their work with an opening reception at the Chocolate Company in Aquebogue on Friday, May 14.
If the weather cooperates, Lassen’s large-scale shots of local foods and landscapes reproduced on canvas, and Amaral’s stunning paintings, will be hung around the grounds of the North Fork Chocolate Company. If it rains, the works will be hung inside the shop, where they will remain on view through the summer season.
Hailing from Manorville, Lassen’s photography is featured in “The Hamptons Kitchen,” a cookbook and guide to the East End by Bridgehampton’s Hillary Davis and Sag Harbor’s Stacy Dermont.
“I’m so excited by peoples’ reaction to the first book I shot! I get so many great questions and I’ve had so many requests for related images, I’ve had some of my work blown-up and printed on canvas and some food shots reproduced on notecards — so people can take it home,” said Lassen. “It’s thrilling to me knowing that people are looking at my work every day in their kitchens and living rooms.”
Known for her portraiture business, Barbara Lynne Photography, Lassen has also served as the longtime photo editor for Dan’s Papers.
Amaral, who owns The North Fork Chocolate Company along with Ann Corley, paints every day — sometimes on artisanal chocolate and sometimes on large canvases. His work is often informed by his travels. In addition to both forks of Long Island, Amaral has lived and worked in Hawaii and California.
“I don’t paint from photographs, I create from what I see in my head,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a dream I had the night before — abstract. I’m inspired by the people I meet and the rich farming culture of the North Fork every day.”
The opening takes place from 5 to 7 PM and the show will be on view through Labor Day.