hidell brooks schedules out solo exhibitions around two years in advance. therefore the excitement and anticipation is full on momentousness once the paintings arrive at the gallery. page laughlin’s new body of work focuses on sailing vessels and came about when page found a vintage photograph of a boat that captivated her. when she told us she was thinking about painting ships as the subject matter for her next show we were totally intrigued. laughlin had been working on these paintings for three years and when the opportunity for the paintings to be shown at the blowing rock art and history museum (BRAHM) prior to our exhibition arose we shifted the schedule. the oil on arches paper mounted on evolon & aluminium paintings are a departure from her typically subject matter of interiors and figurative work of the past. they are approached with her exquisite ability to manipulate paint to create both a realistic painting and under closer inspection mesmerising sections of abstract marks contained within the realism. they definitely carry the viewer into another realm of wind and waves.

the first time we laid eyes on conny goelz schmitt’s vintage book sculptures we fell hard and fast for her geometric abstracted works. the colors and shapes of the totally reimagined books transformed into a new three dimensional form bursting with knowledge and history of the past. conny’s works speak volumes even with her purposefully omitting the text once held between the covers.

both exhibitions are rooted in the past through lauglin’s stumbling upon an old boat photograph sparking a hunger to explore the high seas and scmitt’s obsession with the history of vintage books. the old inspiring the new.

page laughlin

-ship(s)

page laughlin was born and raised in richmond va. she received her undergraduate degree from the university of virginia where she was an echols scholar, phi beta kappa and a member of psi chi national honor society. her graduate degree is from the rhode island school of design where she received a mfa in painting in 1985. she has exhibited in galleries across the country and her paintings are in numerous private and public collections including secca, the north carolina museum of art, the mint museum, nexus, and the virginia museum of art. in 2007, she was awarded a north carolina art council fellowship, and she was a nominee for usa artist fellowship. currently, her painting "mirror, mirror," is on exhibit in the permanent collection of the north carolina museum of art in their new west building. page laughlin lives, works,and paints in winston-salem, nc, where she was a professor of art for over 30 years and a reinsch pierce faculty fellow at wake forest university. in 2021, laughlin retired from teaching to focus on her creative activities and is now a research professor at wake forest.

laughlin/-ship(s)

Page Laughlin's images of ships carry a range of meanings, exploring the artist's relationship with painting, symbolism, and poetic expression. Working on loose paper, Laughlin embraces the unpredictable nature of her medium. Her process is rooted in gesture, alternating between concealing and revealing elements within her compositions. Over the course of her -ship(s) series, her approach to delineating volume has shifted-where earlier works conveyed depth through dense, layered pigment, her more recent paintings use negative space and lighter washes to create a sense of openness and restraint.
The ships, and the dynamic environments they occupy, feel both alive and timeless-like specimens preserved in amber. These paintings are not isolated works but part of an ongoing exploration. Each one is a study, a single step in a broader inquiry. As you look closely at the works in this gallery, you might notice informal groupings or themes that emerge, reflecting different phases of Laughlin's process.
Some paintings feel like portraits, intimate explorations of the formal and stylistic character of the ships themselves. Other compositions are situational, the seafaring vessel serving to articulate the context it emerges from: frothing seawater, turbulent skies, or the geometry of their intersection in the horizon. Still others take on allegorical qualities, hinting at narratives that may not be immediately clear.
Ultimately, these images revel in their painterly surfaces, and Laughlin's works invite both joy and contemplation. She often speaks of the pleasure of looking, and her paintings offer that pleasure in abundance-rewarding both careful study and pure visual enjoyment.

conny goelz schmitt

time machine

conny goelz schmitt is a collage artist and sculptor who spent her youth in germany, moved to taiwan in her twenties, and relocated to the united states in 1996. having been immersed in three very different cultures, she is drawn to hard edge painting influenced by the german “attention to detail”, the retro color palette reminiscent of taiwan in the 80s, and the very often experimental and creative pioneering spirit of americans. her medium of choice is almost without exception the vintage book.

in germany she studied sinology and german literature at eberhard karls university in tuebingen. she was named sculptor of the year by chief curator of boston university, kate mcnamara in caa’s 69th members’ prize show. in 2016, paul c. ha, director of the list visual art center at massachusetts institute of technology, selected her work for the best multi media prize in caa’s national prize show. he work has been featured at galerie biesenbach, cologne (germany), the cultural association of rosa venerini, viterbo (italy), the painting center, new york, site: brooklyn, new york, the danforth art museum, framingham, ma, among others.

the transformation of vintage book parts into geometric collages and sculptures in my artistic practice reflects my belief in the inherent transformative power of books as material. by repurposing these book parts, i explore the idea that books can influence the future through their ability to transcend their original purpose and take on new forms of expression.
through the process of deconstruction and reconstruction, i aim to highlight the potential for books to shape and inspire new perspectives and interpretations. omitting text and focusing on visual storytelling allows me to convey the idea that books, as physical objects, have the capacity to evolve and influence creative endeavors beyond their original context.
by treating each book like a time machine, i delve into the concept of giving new life and meaning to traditional literary materials. this approach emphasizes the idea that books can serve as a source of inspiration and illumination, guiding us towards future possibilities and opening doors to new creative horizons.
in drawing from my cultural experiences and incorporating elements of nostalgia, experimentation, and bold construction, i aim to showcase the diversity and richness of the book as a material medium. ultimately, my work explores the enduring power of books to shape our understanding of the world and inspire new ways of thinking and creating in the future.

all available new work by page laughlin + conny schmitt can be viewed on our website under their individual tabs including sizing + pricing. hidell brooks gallery is by appointment. please call the gallery if you have any further questions.