Rebecca K. Tolle

Seagulls on the Hill
Rebecca K Tolle

I was having coffee with a friend recently at Tandem Bagels when I realized I was completely enchanted by the painting hanging on the facing wall, Seagulls on the Hill, by Rebecca K Tolle. Seagulls and sea water at low tide, what could be nicer? The painting evoked happy childhood memories of the Oregon Coast. Gorgeous colors in the water and sky. A host of gulls lifted off the sand, light, airy, and real, even though they were painted sparingly.

Wrong. Not the ocean. This hill is a landfill, one of the paintings from Tolle’s collection entitled, Trailings of the Land. The scenes in the collection are beautiful but also serve as a reminder of the ongoing destruction and wasteful use of this precious land that surrounds us.

Tolle finds inspiration in unusual places. Her control and use of the palette, as well as management of space on her canvases express the third dimension. In Tangle of Flowers, a small cabin is hidden in the background and only visible from a distance. Flowers in Blue and Movement in Orange both exemplify Tolle’s expressed joy in placing colors against each other, watching shapes form in a way that invites the viewer’s eye to travel around and through the canvas.

Movement in Orange
Rebecca K Tolle

When I went back for a second look at these paintings, a young mother and her daughter were sharing a muffin and cocoa while they chose their favorite painting. Tolle’s thought provoking paintings demonstrate skill, imagination, discernment, and affection. Step into Tandem Bagels if you are in Northfield, or take a look at the artist’s website: http://rebeccatolle.com/. It’s fascinating.

Through the Train Window