Art in Provence, an exhibit of paintings and drawings from artist Jill Steenhuis, is in Chattanooga for two days at the Mountain City Club. The opening show and reception were Tuesday evening and on Wednesday, the exhibit will continue and is free and open to the public to view or buy. A reservation luncheon and talk given by the artist will take place from noon until 1:30.
Ms. Steenhuis says that she partners with various non-profits to organize and present her shows so they benefit from the sales rather than a percentage going to an art gallery. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the paintings from this show will go to the Salvation Army to support local programs in the Chattanooga area. And a portion from the cost of lunch on Wednesday will also be donated to the Salvation Army.
Jill Steenhuis grew up in Atlanta and spent summers at a camp on Lookout Mountain, one of the places where she grew to love nature. She was a fine arts major at Sweet Briar College and soon after graduation, traveled to France studying painting in Aix-en-Provence where she met her husband and there she stayed. She continued painting and her study of art in the region where artists Paul Cezanne and Vincent Van Gogh painting.
The oils, pastels and lithographs in the Art in Provence show are filled with light, color, texture and movement inspired by the styles of Cezanne and Van Gogh. She paints on site to capture the natural light and motion seen in nature, rather than in a studio copying a photograph. Her paintings are done quickly and one is mostly finished in a single day, she said.
This is the second year that Ms. Steenhuis has come to Chattanooga with her art, and the exhibit at the Mountain City Club is one of seven stops for the spring 2023 shows. She is planning on a second tour in the U.S. this coming fall.