Kindred

Cove Street Arts

July 1 - September 4, 2021

All powerful souls have kindred with each other. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

On the surface, there is little to connect the work of Alison Hildreth, Lissa Hunter, and Tom Hall aside from their friendship. Hildreth often works in abstraction, suggesting concrete forms yet remaining diaphanous. Hunter almost works in the reverse, focusing on everyday objects - spoons, bowls, brushes - that she transforms into the extraordinary. In the storied tradition of Maine art, Hall paints landscapes, wonderfully dramatic and unexpected even when depicting well known Maine locales.

Yet, when viewing the work of the three, their connection is revealed. A similar palette and visual sensibility are immediately apparent, but their kinship runs much deeper. Hildreth describes her work in the show as focused on interconnectedness, how our choices “affect the fabric of an intricate and connected environment.” Similarly, Hunter uses everyday objects because they “speak a common language of utility, community and heritage.” As she states, “Nothing less than our shared humanity can be seen in a simple spoon.” Hall, through his depictions of our shared landscape, does not seek merely to reflect the beauty of that landscape, but to find “Beauty with a capital B.” Because, as Hall explains, “Beauty by its very nature implies integration, resolution of conflict, empathy, and love.”

These three artists are not just interconnected on a personal and visual level; their work is fundamentally about interconnection. They can be described as kindred spirits, but, more fundamentally, their work asks us to recognize that we are all kindred.

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