Beach artist dazzles with a portrait

Last Wednesday morning, strollers on Wades Beach came upon a sight that delighted them.

An artist at work, Jesse Pesantez, 17, was creating a stunning portrait using the found objects of the beach — shells, different colored rocks and pebbles, sea weed and old pieces of bamboo and other sticks that had washed ashore.

His inspiration was “just to do something,” Jesse said, and described being on the beach and contemplating a work of art as “a happy accident.”

Enrolled in Ithaca College, he has plans to study art, and works in different media. “I sketch, I paint but I’m really interested in digital art and graphics,” Jesse said.

He’s spent a lot of time during the pandemic with his grandparents, Islanders Stephanie and Sam Lebowitz, taking classes virtually and enjoying the Island.

“I love being on Shelter Island,” Jesse said.

Reached in the city, he said he didn’t know the fate of his portrait, but knew that his grandfather, visiting Wades Beach later in the week, “wrote my name as a signature with his cane.”