Nudging the boundaries between language, painting and abstraction, Fern Apfel’s paintings present life not as “then versus now”, but as an inescapable circle of time and memory. Apfel works from real letters and memorabilia that she has gathered over many years and from all over the world. According to the artist:

I find great beauty in these old letters. They are nostalgic reminders of things that no longer exist and histories of bygone times. In old letters we find loved ones, parents, old friends, and our old selves.

Apfel is a still-life painter. Instead of painting traditional subjects, she paints pictures of paper. Space and color are key elements in these minimal compositions as the ephemera occasionally transform into abstract shapes. We’re left with bits and pieces of representation; traces of memory that are just out of reach, longing to rise to the surface and be acknowledged. In Apfel’s work, those fragments are not only collected but sensitively cared for.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 21, 5–7 PM

Troutbeck
515 Leedsville Rd, Amenia