If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of Peekskill, now is your chance. This Saturday, September 28th, Hope Weissman, known locally and on Instagram as, Hope Draws Stuff, will be having an art show from 7 to 9 p.m. at one of the coolest vintage shops in all of Westchester, Stark Vintage.

Hope will be showing and selling some of the Peekskill favorites, along with some new scenes of Peekskill never shown before. In addition to buying a one-of-a-kind Peekskill-esque artwork, grab a vintage t-shirt or some couture pieces curated and created by Mike Stark, proprietor of Stark Vintage. The infusion of an art show into the unique retail store is exactly what makes Peekskill the Artist District it is. There will be live music, prints, zines, fun and more. 

Hope Weissman grew up in the Hudson Valley and has a passion for the area’s history and architecture. Over the past few years, Hope has been drawing a series of local spots that started just outside of Peekskill. During the COVID-19 pandemic when New York State was in a state of quarantine, Hope was in the vicinity of Napoli’s Pizza in Mohegan Lake.

“The way the light shown out of the windows at night reminded me of one of my favorite paintings “Night Hawks” by Edward Hopper,” said Hope. She took out her tools and began to paint. The result of her little painting of Napoli’s brought energy and “an excitement in seeing something that “looked like here” to the students she taught at Abrakadoodle, a part of the LEAP after school programs at Peekskill middle school and Hillcrest elementary school.  The students loved it. As a result, Hope began a hometown series centered on local scenes and urban landscapes. 

“Throughout the making of the series, I’ve been examining how seeing a place as a painting or drawing can reframe our experiences in and memory of that place,” said Hope. “For me, it has trained my brain to look for hints of preemptive nostalgia; things that I anticipate will become icons of our time. The graffiti switch boxes, webs of electrical lines or cracks in the concrete, the roaming shopping carts, I find all of them have beauty if you let them.”

As the series has continued over the past few years, Hope’s drawings, sketches and paintings has allowed her to connect with a large range of people she may never have had the pleasure of meeting otherwise. “I love hearing stories and everyone’s connection to local places. I love seeing kids’ reactions to places they go all the time as paintings. I don’t think that feeling will ever get old,” Hope said.  

On August 17, 2024, Hope entered a new drawing she created into the Oz Land Festival’s first ever art show sponsored by Antonia Arts.  All artworks that entered the show had to feature pieces based on themes and images from “The Wizard of Oz”. Hope’s drawing, complete with a rainbow, green tint and a yellow brick road featuring many familiar places and scenes in the Emerald City of Peekskill, won first place in the Oz Land art contest. Currently this piece is on display at the Artist Spot on South Street and her drawing of Whiskey River is prominently displayed on all of the flyers and menus. 

“I can’t think of a better place to show this series than Stark Vintage. The store fits so many things about what I love about Peekskill,” says Hope. “They have a can-do DIY attitude, items that are handmade and repurposed with love, and a preservation of history.” Speakingly fondly of owner and art creator Mike Stark, Hope states, “Mike truly embodies the energy of what you’d expect from a store owner in a “friendly town”.” 

To meet, talk and  see some of Hope’s favorite Peekskill artworks and other favorites that are for sale, visit her on Saturday, September 28th, at the Hope Draws Stuff Art show at Stark Vintage from 7 to 9 p.m. As Hope says, “events like these are fun, free and push socialization beyond the bar scene.” 

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