Summer Dunes 30”x48” $4800
Oil on Stretched Canvas
Maine Art Hill's Summer Spotlight Series welcomes new work by Adrienne Kernan LaVallee, whose latest collection explores the coastlines of Maine and New England, with a particular focus on Monhegan Island and the places that continue to draw her back year after year.
At the center of LaVallee's work is an idea she expresses simply:
"The viewer is alone, but not lonely."
That philosophy guides both her paintings and the experience she hopes they create. Empty chairs, weathered cottages, winding paths, and quiet harbors become invitations rather than absences. While human figures are rarely present, evidence of their lives remains everywhere.
"The viewer enters the scene alone, becoming an active participant rather than a distant observer," LaVallee explains. "Through this exchange, the painting becomes a collaboration between artist and viewer, where personal memories and imagination complete the narrative."
Marsh Dwellers 36x36 $4200
Oil on Stretched Canvas
Ode to Da 36x36 $4200
Oil on Stretched Canvas
LaVallee describes herself as a process-based landscape painter, and for her, the act of painting is as important as the destination. She begins with observation, but allows the work to evolve through intuition, memory, and discovery.
"What starts as a specific place gradually evolves as paint is applied, scraped away, scrubbed, scratched through, and reworked," she says. "The finished image emerges through a dialogue between intention and discovery."
This year's exhibition includes paintings inspired by Monhegan and other coastal landscapes. Still, viewers may notice that the work is less about documenting a place and more about capturing its atmosphere, energy, and emotional resonance.
Recently, LaVallee has found herself revisiting older paintings and seeing them through new eyes. One new work in the exhibition began with the rediscovery of a small oil painting created years ago. Rather than simply reproducing the earlier piece, she used it as a starting point, interpreting it through the methods and processes that define her work today.
The willingness to embrace uncertainty has become increasingly important in her studio practice. "I now embrace more of the 'happy accidents' and surprises that happen during the act of painting," she says.
Seaside Oasis 36x36 $4200
Oil on Stretched Canvas
Above the Metropolis 36x36 $4200
Oil on Stretched Canvas
For LaVallee, every painting becomes a series of decisions. Unexpected marks, textures, and color relationships appear as the work develops. The challenge, and often the joy, comes from deciding what belongs.
"Happy accidents… what stays and what goes." That spirit of discovery is reflected in the way she works. Rarely focused on a single canvas from start to finish, LaVallee typically has numerous paintings underway at once. "I make many paintings at once because they usually need drying time between sessions. This way, I always have something to work on. I seldom start a piece and work on just that one until it is finished."
Walking into her studio today means encountering paintings in every stage of development. Some are just beginning. Others are nearly complete. All are part of an ongoing conversation between artist, memory, place, and paint. As LaVallee puts it, what viewers ultimately see is more than a landscape. It is the record of a journey. "The finished image emerges through a dialogue between intention and discovery," revealing not only the landscape itself, but the history of its making.