Northeast Harbor Library is pleased to welcome artist Joan Vienot to exhibit her paintings in the spacious Mellon Room. Ms. Vienot will be displaying 60 small works painted since her move from Florida to Maine. Her exhibit will run from the 1st to the 30th of April 2026. The public is invited to “Meet-the-Artist” in the Mellon Room on April 9 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Vienot moved from Northwest Florida to Downeast Maine in October of 2022, with the intention of painting the rocky coastline. Her first challenge was to learn how to paint rocks, since there were almost none in Northwest Florida. With plentiful inspiration just minutes away from her home in Trenton, Joan spent most of her first winter hiking the trails and driving the roads of Mt. Desert Island and the Schoodic Peninsula, exploring, sketching, and taking notes. She had vacationed in Maine, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia, but everything seemed new and more exciting now that she was on a mission. An avid plein air painter, Joan returned to many of her favorite places when the weather warmed, palette and canvas in hand. It didn’t take long to make the acquaintance of other plein air painters in the area, who introduced her to even more scenes to paint. She says that she tries to prioritize the rocky coastline, but she also is captivated by interior Maine landscapes. She counts it a win if her landscapes include at least one rock or rocky structure, a challenge easily met since this is Maine. Her exhibit includes scenes from Cape Elizabeth, Bristol, Port Clyde, Monhegan Island, Owl’s Head, Blue Hill Peninsula, Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park, Sullivan, Franklin, Sorrento, the Schoodic Peninsula, and Gouldsboro.

Vienot received a BA degree in Fine Art from the University of Northern Colorado, with state teacher certification. She taught art in her hometown public high school in Colorado for 3 years prior to a business career in Northwest Florida. After retiring, Joan dedicated her life to producing art, specializing in painting landscapes outdoors from life. In 2016, 2019, and 2021 she was named one “Florida’s Finest en Plein Air” Ambassadors for “The Forgotten Coast en Plein Air”, an annual 10-day invitational painting event in Apalachicola and Port St. Joe, Florida. Six Ambassadors are selected each year from across the state of Florida, and tasked with teaching the basics of plein air painting to 15 novices in 2-hour-long one-on-one sessions during the event. She has taught drawing, perspective, and framing for ArtWaves in Town Hill, Maine. Each year Joan paints for two non-profit fundraisers — Blue Hill Library’s “Paint the Peninsula” and Bar Harbor Historical Society’s “Hudson to Harbor”. She also offers “Paint with Joan” plein air sessions, wor

kshops, and private lessons and mentoring, and she contracts to paint live at outdoorweddings and events.
20% of all sale proceeds from this exhibit will be donated to the exhibit venue, Northeast Harbor Library. The Mellon Room occasionally is booked for private use. Anyone making a special trip just to see the exhibit should call the library at (207) 276-3333 to make sure the room will be available for their visit.

To see more of Vienot’s work or to message her, please visit joanvienot.com. Follow Joan on social media at JoanVienotArt.