The art of Shepard Hildebrandt is an exploration of intelligent design in nature.
A husband and wife team, Evan Hildebrandt and Alison Shepard create their work as a dance where each partner is able to both lead and respond. Drawn together by their love of nature, they weave together worlds of beauty that celebrate both the intimate details and the fierce majesty of the natural world.
For Shepard and Hildebrandt, creation is a means for studying and discerning the architecture, the patterns, the unique handwriting of God. With childlike wonder, they are passionate about discovering the sublime in the natural world.
In the realm of aesthetics, the concept of the sublime speaks to the experience of awe when beholding the deep mysteries of nature, spirituality, morality, art and science. In the face of the industrial revolution, 19th century artists, poets, and philosphers like Edmund Burke sought to elevate the notion of the sublime in nature, metaphysics and art.
Though the concept of the sublime may hearken back to a Romantic era, Shepard and Hildebrandt see the current relevance of these ideas in our 21st century.
In these times of exponential technological advancement, it seems more important than ever to ensure that humanity remains connected with the healing beauty of the natural world.
Shepard and Hildebrandt have a way of conveying these ideals in a form that is both contemporary and timeless.
Abstract Realism is a term that seems paradoxical at first glance.
Yet, for Shepard and Hildebrandt, this marriage of opposites is a place where they both feel at home.
The combination of abstraction and realism in their art offers the viewer both a feeling of harmonious unity and complex variety. This invites the viewer to discover something new with each interaction.
Their studio practice is in many ways seamless, as both Evan and Alison share unique levels of fluency in realism and abstraction.
They are committed to bringing forth art that is masterfully crafted, unique and timeless.
