Studio Notes #1: On The Maine Coast

Dear friends:

I’m beginning something new: a quarterly letter from my studio. Every few months, I’ll share a little of what I’ve been working on, where painting has taken me, exhibitions and artists I’ve encountered, and what is developing in the studio.

This summer was especially rich. I spent much of July through September doing what I most want to be doing painting, looking closely at the landscape, and spending time with other artists. Pictured right is me painting in Bernard Maine

A Week of Painting on Monhegan

I returned to Monhegan Island for a week of painting this summer. There is something about Monhegan that continually brings me back to the fundamental reasons I paint: the changing light, the rugged coastline, the ocean, and the experience of being completely immersed in a place.

Painting outside means responding to what is actually happening rather than what I expect to see. Light changes, weather moves in, colors shift, and a painting has to develop within that experience. I find that immediacy both challenging and exhilarating.

‍ ‍Where the Sea meets the Rocks,

11” x 14”, Framed, Oil on Board,

July 2026

Painting in Bernard, Maine

Later in the summer, I spent another week painting in Bernard on Mount Desert Island. It offered a very different coastal landscape, rocky beaches, wooded edges, tidal water, working waterfronts, and quieter places where I could set up my paints and spend hours observing.

I continue to be interested in painting as a way of knowing a place. When I sit in one location for several hours, mixing colors and watching the light move across the landscape, I begin to notice relationships that a photograph alone doesn't capture.

These weeks of concentrated plein-air work are becoming increasingly important to my studio practice. The small paintings and color studies are works in themselves, but they also become a visual vocabulary I can draw upon later.

‍ ‍Pink Rock, Oil on Cradled Board, 11” x 14” July 2026

Upcoming Exhibition: Sidle House S.N.O.W.

I’m delighted to share that my painting Sanctuary has been selected for the 2026 Sidle House S.N.O.W. exhibition. This year’s open call drew submissions from nearly 400 artists, so I’m especially honored to have my work included.

The exhibition runs November 20–December 13, 2026 at Sidle House. Gallery hours are Thursday–Sunday, 3:00–6:00 PM, and by appointment.

I’m looking forward to seeing Sanctuary as part of this wonderful group exhibition and to celebrating the work of the other selected artists.

Sanctuary, 8” x 10”, Framed Oil on Board, July 2026

Back to the Studio

As summer gives way to fall, I'm bringing all of these experiences back into the studio, the rocks and water of Monhegan, the shoreline around Bernard, the colors I mixed outdoors, and the conversations and paintings I encountered along the way.

I'm increasingly interested in allowing my plein-air experiences to inform larger, more exploratory paintings rather than simply reproducing a particular view. The landscape is the starting point, but memory, sensation, color, and the physical act of painting all become part of the finished work. Here is an example of a large studio painting based on a smaller study done while on Monhegan Island.

Manana Sunset, oil on canvas, 36” x 48” September 2026

Thank you for following along with my work. I'm looking forward to sharing what develops over the next few months.

Warmly,

Adele Drake