Silvermine School of Art has announced it is hosting a special two-day workshop next month with visiting plein-air artist Jill Steenhuis, an Atlanta native who has lived in Aix-en-Provence since 1980.
Steenhuis will advance the workshop by offering an Oct. 6 lecture, “Van Gogh Seen Through the Artist’s Eyes,” from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The intensive oil-painting workshop will follow, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Oct. 7 and 8.
Here’s how Silvermine is advancing the program:
“The focus of the workshop will be on color: how to mix a harmonious palette in oil paint, then put it to use in the landscape or in still life and/or interiors if weather does not permit. She will guide students in the experience of taking in nature ‘through the senses to activate one’s unique inner poetry.’”
“‘If you hear a voice within you say, ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced,’ said Vincent Van Gogh. Steenhuis uses Van Gogh’s words to inspire in her students a sense of freedom. In her classes, the creative process is taught in such a way that painting becomes the expression of the painter’s soul in nature. Her workshop is open to all levels.”
Silvermine also shares that Steenhuis has spent decades painting in the landscapes of Provence. She graduated from Sweet Briar College in Virginia, with a BFA in studio art, and attended The Leo Marchutz School of Painting and Drawing in Aix-en-Provence. In the 1980s and ’90s, Steenhuis was one of the few artists to have a studio at the Château Noir, where Cézanne had his studio in the late 19th century. She has exhibited in solo shows across the United States, as well as in Aix-en-Provence and Paris, with her work in the permanent collection of museums and private collections in America and France.
The workshop cost, which includes the lecture, is $500. The lecture is also open to all, with walk-ins welcome. Admission for those not attending the workshop is $10.
For more, or to register, visit silvermineart.org or call 203-966-6668.
– Mary Shustack
