{"id":933012,"date":"2026-10-14T18:20:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/933012\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T18:20:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:20:26","slug":"ann-toebbes-skewed-paintings-transform-architectural-spaces-into-cherished-places-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/933012\/","title":{"rendered":"Ann Toebbe’s Skewed Paintings Transform Architectural Spaces into Cherished Places \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI find that when I work from my emotions and experiences, I make a more powerful image,\u201d Ann Toebbe<\/a> writes. Meditating on the connection between physical spaces and the feelings and memories bound within them is central to the Chicago artist\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n

In a review<\/a> of Toebbe\u2019s recent exhibition at Hyde Park Art Center, the writer Elisa Shoenberger teases out the distinction that grounds the artist\u2019s work. \u201cSpace is the physical location, while place is the meaning we bring to it. It\u2019s the difference between thinking about the physical location of your house (space) and the feelings, history and emotions tied up in your home (place),\u201d Schoenberger writes. Rendering interiors and cross-cut buildings in impeccable detail, Toebbe concentrates on a particular sensation or mood and then constructs a series of architectural compositions that extrapolate on the theme.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Farm (Spring)\u201d (2023), oil and gouache on panel, 35 x 35 inches<\/p>\n

Preliminary sketches and more elaborate drawings scaffold what becomes the final work on panel, which typically incorporates a mix of gouache, oil paint, paper collage, and colored pencil. Reference photos have their role, too, although each piece emerges with a manipulated layout and the artist\u2019s signature skewed perspectives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI might extend a wall or include indoor and outdoor elements to make a layout snap together. I am always messing with how baseboards can divide and connect walls and floors. I might stack a composition or unfold it like a flattened box,\u201d she says. \u201cI love creating transitions with flow, and I try to avoid abrupt cropping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toebbe\u2019s stylized interiors typically mix reverse and parallel perspective, the former enlarging objects as they move farther away and the latter keeping objects the same size. This inventive approach plunges the viewer into an uncanny world in which the artist\u2019s predilection toward pattern and texture reigns. \u201cI like to change up working methods to give myself a new formal puzzle to solve,\u201d she adds. \u201cI usually have an idea of the materials I want to work with at the start, but everything is up for grabs as I work.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in Chicago, you can see some of Toebbe\u2019s works in a group exhibition on view through October 31 at Andrew Rafacz<\/a>. Otherwise, find more from the artist on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cOvergrowth\u201d (2026), oil and gouache on panel, 35 x 35 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cNorthside Southside\u201d (2023), colored pencil and pencil on paper, 35 x 35 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cToys et Cetera\u201d (2026), 20 x 22 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cFamily Room (Sister)\u201d (2017), gouache on panel, 22 x 18 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cCrooked Lampshade\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cHardwood Floors\u201d (2020), gouache and paper collage on panel, 35 x 35 inches<\/p>\n

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