It was unexpected – I felt my father’s presence as I cleaned off his riding boots and prepared them for a painting session. I had thought about doing this many times before, but had never actually taken the time to do it. A flood of memories and sensations washed over me as I painted his boots. I lived and remembered and loved.
In this letter to her father, Jill writes about her first experience oil painting in the streets of Aix.
“Painting the Invisible” is a documentary film that follows Jill Steenhuis as she navigates the landscapes of Provence in search of inspiration for her creative practice. Shot by her son, James Ruffato, over the course of three years, the film gives intimate glimpses into the world of Jill’s prolific, creative, spiritual energy.
Home, happy and with plenty of space to create, Jill has been working on a new body of work with the vibrant colors and textures of Provence in the springtime. She shares some of her inspirations, images of new work and a link to the full collection.
Jill highlights the importance of stepping away from her to-do lists in order to enter a creative, meditative, soulful state. She explains how pre-mixing her palette helps her in this process.
Jill unfolds her recent meditations on the practice of receiving and being silent.
Jill, Sergio and crew swept through New England and made their way down South on their most recent tour. The tour included several art shows, talks and workshops, a documentary screening preview on Jill, and a plein air art competition.
This summer May, July and September, Jill hosted artists in her 8-day oil-painting workshops. The groups journeyed throughout Provence, to Cézanne’s art studio, followed in the footsteps of Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy and captured local scenes on canvas (port of Cassis, market in Aix), and more!
The “buzz” around here is that Sergio’s first public art commission was recently inaugurated as part of the “Euroméditérrannée” urban renewal project in the La Joliette neighborhood of Marseille.
Who was Leo Marchutz, this Franco-German painter and lithographer who died in 1976 – four years before my arrival in Aix?
In the heat of July, Provence is colored in shades of purple as the lavender flowers bloom, releasing their sweet, heady scent.
ON TOUR THIS SUMMER — International sculptor, Sergio Ruffato, and French based, Atlanta-born painter, Jill Steenhuis, will be showing an exceptional selection of artwork, including metal sculptures, oil paintings, and lithographs in Wilson, Wyoming from August 2-4, and in Hamilton, Montana on August 7th and 8th.
SPRINGTIME IN PROVENCE — An unusually rainy spring led to more bountiful flowers in the landscape for my two oil-painting workshops in May. In spite of some rainy days, we journeyed out en plein air to experience nature and allow our inner poetry to emerge on the canvas.
As some of you already know, in France it is bad luck to send your New Year’s greetings before the new year has begun & then you have until January 31 to do it. Having adopted the French ways that suit me, this is one that I like. “Here’s my secret, it’s very simple: It … Read more
It all started 17 years ago when I bought my first Van Gogh silk scarf of the Irises from the Musee d’Orsay shop. I was always disappointed with the postcards and posters of the great master works. The reproductions were so poor, never like the painting I had just seen. Then I discovered the … Read more
Dear Friends, I’m at Camp Desoto and I wish you were here. Camp is just as much fun as I remember it. Phil and Marsha have pulled out all the stops to make our painting retreat one to remember. And boy will we remember it! Each meal we eat together at a long table in … Read more
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