“We all have been put here to make a mark, a scratch, a whisper, a symphony. We will spill the love we have been given from our deepest soul and return it in abundance to the Universe for each other, to the best of our abilities and aptitudes,” artist Janis H. Sanders.
It will be three for three at Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk. Three local artists will be featured for three weeks, focusing on three aspects of art: Color, Shape, and Light. The works of painters Janis H. Sanders, Adrienne Kernan LaVallee, and Kathleen Robbins will open on Saturday, June 14, at 10 AM, with an artists’ reception from 5 to 7 PM at 5 Chase Hill Rd in Kennebunk. All are welcome. The show will run through July 2.
“These three talented landscape artists all have strong ties to New England and capture the area's diverse landscape beautifully,” says gallery owner John Spain. “Between Sanders and his striking blue skies, the colors of Lavalle’s brilliant palette, and the stunning scenes created by newcomer Kathleen Robbins, this show is filled with views and vantage points that should not be missed.”
The first artist, Janis H. Sanders, mixes his oils in ways that create color only Mother Nature can rival, from the bluest of blues to brilliant yellows full of light. Sanders allows his oils to lead him where they wander.
“To this day, I mix and blend my paints on the surface of the painting itself, putting the palette itself aside to increase the immediacy of my painting process,” shares Sanders. “Picasso once said that the painter paints himself. This observation expresses the thread of personality and experience within an artist. That evidences itself in my choice of general palette. There is infinite possibility within a few color choices and preferences. The excitement never wanes.”
Artist Adrienne Kernan LaVallee embraces color and light much the same way. However, shape, especially in landscape, brings a new perspective. LaVallee has been painting for a lifetime, so many changes have occurred. More recently, she has focused on relatively realistically rendered landscapes. However, the shapes are still abstracted with a palette knife, a brush, or even rags.
"I have always worked in series, and the subjects of these series have varied over the years from symbolic to non-objective abstraction to realist landscapes and now abstracted landscapes," says LaVallee. "I allow my inner aesthetic nature to take its course, which is primary to my artistic growth. I am most interested in the feeling for the landscape rather than describing it.”
To round out this trio, Kathleen Robbins focuses on building a painting. It is critical to her work. Gesture, color, line, and surface all play with space to create a distinct back-and-forth motion between representation and abstraction.
“The surface is often calm, and time is suspended, with the ever-present tension on the verge of movement and change,” says Robbins. “How one object or shape affects the other is a continuing source of fascination. I chose to pare down my paintings to simple shapes and forms. I leave the small details for the viewers to discover by simply suggesting they are there. The viewer has to have an active role while looking at a painting. I can’t make it too easy.
No matter what draws you to a piece of art, there is something to bring you into this show. Remember it begins on Saturday, June 14, and runs through July 2. The doors open at 10 AM. Join the artists for a reception from 5 to 7 PM on the evening of June 14 at 5 Chase Hill Rd in Kennebunk. View the work in person and raise a glass. All are welcome. Shows are open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM. FMI maine-art.com or 967-2803.
To round out this trio, Kathleen Robbins focuses on building a painting. It is critical to her work. Gesture, color, line, and surface all play with space to create a distinct back-and-forth motion between representation and abstraction.
“The surface is often calm, and time is suspended, with the ever-present tension on the verge of movement and change,” says Robbins. “How one object or shape affects the other is a continuing source of fascination. I chose to pare down my paintings to simple shapes and forms. I leave the small details for the viewers to discover by simply suggesting they are there. The viewer has to have an active role while looking at a painting. I can’t make it too easy.
No matter what draws you to a piece of art, there is something to bring you into this show. Remember it begins on Saturday, June 14, and runs through July 2. The doors open at 10 AM. Join the artists for a reception from 5 to 7 PM on the evening of June 14 at 5 Chase Hill Rd in Kennebunk. View the work in person and raise a glass. All are welcome. Shows are open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM. FMI maine-art.com or 967-2803.