New Years Greetings 2026

Remember, mystery isn’t something that you cannot understand – it is something that you can endlessly understand! There is no point at which you can say, “I’ve got it.” Always and forever, it gets you! – Richard Rohr

Dear Family & Friends,

Greetings from my home in Aix-en-Provence, where I am nestled beside the fire with my cat Ochat cuddled up beside me and Serge, not too far away; Laska, just on the other side of the window. I am enjoying hibernating in the peace and quiet of home with the liberty of letting my thoughts wander. Your presence is felt with all the cards and letters making a magnificent collage, an oeuvre d’art over the hearth.

May this new year be your most creative year ever. How does one open the poetry of one’s soul? Seeking the invisible in the visible is my way. Nature speaks its essence into my soul. My brushstrokes echo the divine voice of the Creator. The wind gives me a new brushstroke and shows the way to paint the invisible.

A.I. has entered our lives, and it can transform anything into a painting. So where am I? What is art? It is not about copying nature; it is not about telling a story; it is not about colors that match the curtains, it is about receiving the gift of a divine surprise and entering the unknown. I want to do what a machine cannot do. No cameras, no A.I., only nature and the human soul. Paint and paint brushes are my tools, and brushstrokes are my language to express the voice from the heart. The all-encompassing wind beckons me into a dance with nature and ignites my inner soul. The invisible comes into being through visible brush strokes, making a new poetry on the canvas, making me an echo to the voice of nature. May you enter the dance and be swirled into the mystery of the invisible.

Dreams: May your dreams come true in 2026. My father taught me to dream high. It’s free, and dreams can come true. Destiny often takes our dreams beyond what we could ever have imagined. I came to France 45 years ago, seeking Cezanne and a deeper understanding of his art and creative process, seeking his mountain, wanting to climb the mountain, to paint the mountain. Following my six-week stay in Aix in 1980, I was to return home to Atlanta. Destiny had another plan for me. At the age of 21 with one hour left to decide whether I would get on the train to go home or stay, the voice in my heart was speaking as if from a loudspeaker, “Stay”. The choice was mine, and I followed my instinct. Painting became my life, my habit of being.

A dream come true: from 1981 to 1996, I had my painting studio at Château Noir, the very same Château Noir where Cézanne painted from 1887 to 1902 and had his studio in the courtyard with the pistachio tree. Recently Destiny orchestrated another miracle: The first book about Chateau Noir, featuring the artists and philosophers who have shaped the world of art and thinking for over a century was published in 2025. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined myself to be included in the same book as Cezanne, Picasso, Marchutz, Marsden Hartley, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Maldiney and several fellow artists of today.

I am honored to be included in beautifully illustrated work Cezanne À Château Noir, L’histoire d’une fascination, co-authored by T. Maugenest and W.D. Adams. (For the moment the book is available in French only.)

The Fall tour: seven shows and four workshops in seven cities in five weeks. Every day I felt protected. The small and great miracles that God performed made me know that I am still where He wants me to be: Words come without my knowing what I am to say; the rain stops long enough for us to transfer the artwork from the vans; the energy needed to go in high gear for so many days comes. I am truly blessed to be able to give back through the different non-profit organizations with which I collaborate during our exhibitions, welcoming wonderful guests and art lovers. Our hosts and non-profit benefactors included Greenville Center for Creative Arts (Greenville, SC), Sistercare (Columbia, SC), Village of Promise (Huntsville, AL), Children’s Health (Dallas, TX), One Hopeful Place (Destin, FL), Humane Society of West Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL). My team is like a puzzle: Sergio, Jimmy and Kim, Hayley, Serge. Each piece with its unique form and purpose completes the picture. Where would I be without them.
Read about the Fall Tour in my previous blog post.

The year 2025 was full of painting workshops, starting last February with an unforgettable workshop in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. No matter what level, each person climbs his or her own individual mountain, and I am privileged to be part of the journey. So many unforgettable memories: visiting Chateau Noir, painting chez Caroline et Hubert, dancing to le galoubet (provençal flute) and the end-of-workshop show that has become a not-to-be-missed Rock’n Roll soirée starring Hayley Davis & The True Ones. A full week of painting, making new friends, the air, the light, the laughter, the food, the music, the Love shared are unexpected bonuses.
Read my previous blog post about my summer workshops.

Loss: On July 19th my beloved horse, Danilo slipped going into his stall and broke his hip. We spent his last few hours together, and then he was relieved of his pain. My heart was broken but he lives on in my memory.

Read the full Danilo story here ⇓ 

Destiny had a plan for my grieving heart: four days after Danilo’s death, I attended the 100th anniversary celebration of Camp DeSoto on Lookout Mountain in Alabama. At the reunion, our spirits recognized the deep Love that was shared 50 years ago and that never left us, giving us an inner strength to handle whatever would come. The foundation was built there on solid rock. The singing, the dancing, the hugging, the beauty on the Mountain made me who I am today. I am convinced it was a glimpse of what Heaven is going to be like.

My three sons continue to thrive, pursuing their passions: Art, motorcycles and soccer. Alexander & Emmanuelle (AKA Bella Hunt & DDC with Southway Studio) are collaborating with Baccarat for Milan Design Week in April 2026, along with various other endeavors in contemporary art. My adventurous son Sergio was nearing the end of his six-month solo motorcycle trek in Australia, when the unexpected happened: on January 7th, a collision with a car coming around a sharp turn put an end to his trek. The Aussi doctors did an outstanding job mending all his broken bones and he is now recovering in the care of his cousin Eve and her husband Hugh in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. I told Sergio that he has a guardian angel, and he agreed! Jimmy is busy with various film projects, including part III of a documentary for the Leo Marchutz Catalogue Raisonné, and films for Art in Provence and Southway Studio. Thank goodness for soccer, their happy place. All three boys are devout players for their local men’s team, The Flamingos of Aix.

Exciting news for March 4-6, 2027! Sergio and I have been selected to be the featured artists of the HMA Gala (Huntsville Museum of Art). Mark your calendars – it will be a fabulous time together.

Thank you for being part of my journey this year. Each one of you is like a winged seed that the wind has brought my way, gifting me with a fleck of divine light. Let us open ourselves to the miracle of each day and take the light we have received and pass it on to another.

May peace, joy, compassion and renewal be yours. For those of you who are alone and are not in good health or who have lost loved ones, I pray that you will be given the strength and courage to continue.

“Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. (James 4:8)

Love, 

Jill

A YEAR IN A FEW IMAGES