Ruth LaGue is a contemporary painter based in western Massachusetts whose work centers on rural New England landscapes and architectural forms. She is known for paintings that reduce familiar places—farmhouses, barns, roads, and open fields—into essential shapes, emphasizing light, space, and atmosphere over literal detail. Her work explores memory, place, and the quiet presence of everyday environments.
LaGue’s paintings are informed by a 39-year career as a graphic designer and creative director, bringing a strong sense of composition, visual economy, and intentional mark-making to her studio practice. Working primarily in acrylic on canvas and panel, she builds layered surfaces and restrained palettes that invite reflection and personal interpretation.
Her work is held in private collections across the United States, Canada, and England, as well as the corporate collection of BioMed Realty in Boston and the permanent collection of the Encaustic Art Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico. LaGue exhibits nationally and internationally and is represented by galleries and art consultants throughout the U.S. and the U.K.
In addition to her studio practice, LaGue is engaged in teaching, mentoring, and community-based creative work, sharing insights on painting, composition, and building a sustainable life in the arts. She lives and works in Northampton.
