A few days ago I had the opportunity to see friend Anne Hebebrand’s exhibit “The Architecture of Memory”.  The exhibit is at Carver Hill Gallery in Camden, Maine. The Gallery has both a welcoming feel and an intimate setting. Seeing the exhibit was a wonderful escape and I was grateful for a moment to be engaged in Anne’s rich paintings.  

What I found to be the strongest attribute of this body of work was the sense of play. In every image of looking at a two dimensional plane, my eyes were lead from one “place” to another in variations of marks, shapes, or contrasts in both. Not busy, almost musical, my eyes could slow in small bits, and take a rest with simplified color forms. 

What the Day Left Behind, 24″x30″, oil and cold wax on panel

In one of my favorite pieces, “What The Day Left Behind” the opaque shapes of darker values operate forward and back, and chat with the free form transparent shapes. Anne writes, “I apply paint, scrape it away, redraw, and revise – leaving behind traces of what was there before.” Anne’s masterful exploration of marks, as photographed and shared here give you an opportunity to see for yourself. 

Fragments that Remember, 24″x 30″, oil and old wax on panel

In Anne’s statement she writes, “I explore the layered terrain of memory through abstract forms that echo architectural structures. Using a vocabulary of geometry, texture, and color, I construct spaces that feel at once deliberate and intuitive – places where what is remembered, forgotten or re-imagined coexists.” In this sense, I appreciated the opportunity to get lost in Anne’s paintings but not feel lost. My eyes were fed. They went for a walk, and jumped and twisted. I forgot where I started, didn’t mind where I landed, and the whole time I felt like I had been there before. What a treat.

If you have the opportunity to visit Camden’s Carver Hill Gallery, please do! Camden is absolutely lovely seaside town. The show is up through July 13. The Gallery is open Mon – Sat 10:30 to 5:30 pm and Sunday 11 to 4 p.m. , 36 Bay View Street Camden, Maine www.CarverHillGallery.com

Written by Helene Ferrar, a member of New England Wax