Featuring the work of Friendship artist Pam Cabañas July 2-11 in the Hedgerow Gallery
Where:
When:
| Cabañas’ Hedgerow Gallery show runs from July 2 through July 11. An artist’s reception will be held outside on the pergola deck and in the surrounding gardens at the gallery on Sunday, July 5 from 2pm-4pm. Covid-19 protocols will be followed. Please note: Hedgerow Gallery is closed Monday July 6 and Tuesday July 7. Hedgerow Gallery is located at 8 Ridge Road (at the corner of Route 131 and Ridge Road) in the Martinsville section of the St. George peninsula, between Tenants Harbor and Port Clyde. For more information on Cabañas’ show go to hedgerowdesign.com |
About the Show
| A solo show of recent work spanning a variety of mediums by Friendship artist Pam Cabañas is the first of the summer season’s offerings at Hedgerow Gallery. Paintings and drawings included in the exhibition are large-scale ‘shorescapes’ using a diptych format that represent a departure for the artist. “Working on a larger scale is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Cabañas says, “but up until now I’ve held back because, you know, Maine has small walls!” Deciding to work at a larger scale—some pieces are 4’x4’ and others are 5’x5’—has really been a matter of heart, Cabañas says, a way to get more fully immersed in the experience of the coast and islands she explores in her 14’ skiff in and around the tip of the Friendship peninsula. “I find that your iconic Maine imagery and landscape is all here in Friendship, especially out on the islands where I do a lot of plein-air painting.” Most of the paintings that will be in the Hedgerow Gallery show originated plein-air and then were finished in the studio. “When I get the work back in the studio I begin to see it as experiential rather than simply as a picture of what I saw on a particular day.” Adding that experiential element, Cabañas explains, involves “a quality of light, of values and, more than anything, movement.” The paintings become more atmospheric, she says. “I do photograph a lot out there and I do use photographs for reference when I need them, but it is also pretty hilarious sometimes to see the photograph and to see the painting because they often have very little to do with each other.” Cabañas began using the diptych format for her larger work, with a single image being split horizontally into two uneven sections, the larger surmounting the smaller, as a way to scale up her work without resulting in a physically unwieldy object. But very quickly she found the new format also contributed an unexpected aesthetic benefit. “Both sections are to be hung as free-floating panels—I rarely do a piece that needs to be framed—but the top piece hangs maybe an inch or inch-and-a-half from the wall and the bottom piece is maybe two inches from the wall, so the two parts don’t meet, they are off-set,” Cabañas points out, clearly relishing the subtle yet dynamic visual impact. More moderate-sized work in water color, ink, and acrylic—along with Cabañas favorite medium, charcoal—are also included in her Hedgerow Gallery show. “I’m kind of a black-and white fanatic,” she admits with a grin. —Julie A. Wortman |
Included Works:
About Pam Cabañas:
| Born in Brooklyn, NY, artist Pam Cabañas lives and works in the mid-coast village of Friendship, Maine. Pam is well known for her evocative works in watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, and ink Her paintings create a haunting portrait of the artist’s relationship with the harsh, yet beautiful coast of Maine. Working primarily with a subtle or monochromatic palette, Cabañas’ intent is to integrate an artistic view with a sense of place, time, and pending change. Pam holds advanced degrees in art and art education from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and The University of New Mexico. A cold winter breaks to spring when the skiff goes overboard and Pam can continue her quest to connect her respect for the beauty and harsh reality of coastal Maine with the mediums of fine art. |
“Cabañas’ drawings are uncompromising – all the more engaging and beautiful because they are true.”
Alan Magee.