Don't miss the annual Plein Air Washington and the San Juan Preservation trust Summer Social and Paint out, this Saturday, July 31st

I will be participating again this year in both the juried art exhibit and invitational plein air “quick draw” event at the Hoedemaker Farm on Lopez Island. Dozens of artists from all over the northwest will also be participating and working on-site during this event, which features: a live art show and auction, on - site (plein air) painting, children's activities, food by renowned chef, Kim Bast, wine from Lopez Island Vineyards and live music by JP and the OK Rhythm Boys!

For a detailed map and directions: www.sjpt.org and view "calendar of events". Pictured here is a pastel I did about 3 weeks ago, in a practice run titled: “Marking Time and Pushing 100”.

The artwork selected for exhibit by jurors, will be exhibited and for sale, Saturday, from 4-7 p.m. Many painters will be arriving earlier than that to set-up and paint on Saturday. Many of the remaining works will then transfer to Crow Valley Gallery in Eastsound for a special exhibit through Labor Day weekend. www.crowvalley.com

I hope to see many of you there on Saturday, while we all work within the great range of landscape possibilities and subject matter provided at this historic old farm.

Agora Gallery, New York

I am participating in an exhibit titled: "A Maze of Milieu" starting July 23, at Agora Gallery, located at 530 West 25th St., Chelsea, New York, NY. Exhibition dates: July 23 – August 13, 2010. Gallery hours; Tuesday-Saturday, 11 am-6 pm.

An opening reception for the artists will be held on August 5, 6-8 pm. Both Judy and I will attend the reception and look forward to seeing patrons and meeting collectors, while in New York.

The piece here "Dubrovnik Promenade" painted from our October 2009 trip to Croatia, has already sold (together with “Gernika, Spain”) to a private collector prior to the show opening. I have shipped 2 more pieces to the gallery for this show and will have a total of 8 new works exhibited.

www.agoragallery.com to preview works in the exhibit

Croatia Art Experience 2010
Last Call for sign-ups is August 3

There's still space in the October 3-12 Croatia Art Experience on the lovely island of Korcula, near Dubrovnik. Daily live demos by Steve Hill at stunning sites around the Adriatic Sea will teach you to paint with confidence and new skills.

The food at Lovrics comfortable B&B is unmatched (3 meals per day included with accommodations, workshop fee and ground transportation for @ $2200 U.S.) . . . the friendly people who run the place are like family.

October is the perfect month to be there, as it's still nice and warm, the grape harvest is in full swing, providing perfect subject matter to paint. Colorful wooden boats are everywhere and since Croatia has over 1100 islands, there's always some great compositions on the water. We even take a one day excursion by private boat (included in the workshop fee) to a small island with a beautiful Franciscan Monastery nestled in a turquoise bay. Beautiful stone walls line the fields and some great winding streets in the villages, lined with ancient buildings, entice visual expression and are waiting to be painted by you.

August 3 is the deadline for sign-ups for this year's workshop. Go to www.slikamilina.ca for registration and details about the art experience, or contact me. The painting here, "Cavtat Harbor" is one I did from the 2009 trip, where we all stay the first night at Dubrovnik, before heading to the ferry for Korcula.

I will have 5 new paintings from Lopez Island, France, Italy and Croatia on display at the Colin Goode Gallery in the heart of Lopez Island Village, with an opening reception for the artists and public, this coming Friday, June 4th, from 5-7 p.m.

I hope to see many of you at this new exhibit, which features Daphne Morris, Colin Goode, myself and other gallery artists.

The painting here, which is one of the pieces I will have in the exhibit, is titled "Quiet Adriatic Bay" from Korcula Island, Croatia.

The new exhibit of Northwest Masters at La Conner Seaside Gallery's opening reception is Saturday, May 22nd, from 5-8 p.m. I am one of three artists featured with new plein air pieces in the upstairs gallery, together with Ned Mueller and Mehde Fallahian, in a special exhibit: “Chasing the Light”.

My invitation piece here is titled: “Evening Light, Fisherman Bay”, which won an award in the Associated Arts of Ocean Shores 41st National Juried Fine Arts Show, in April, 2010. It was painted en plein air in August, 2009 on Lopez Island, at Fisherman Bay Peninsula.

I will also have many smaller paintings from plein air trips (all at very affordable prices) from Portugal, France, Croatia, Italy, Carmel, CA, Boise, Idaho (my home town) and, of course, the San Juan Islands. Hope to see many of you at the opening this Saturday!

The gallery is located at: 112 Morris Ave., La Conner, WA

I have again been juried into The 17th Annual Carmel Art Festival, which will be held May 13-16, in Carmel, California. All artists paint (rather furiously) for 2 days and turn our best 2 pieces in (framed) for jury on Friday evening. The festival opens to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday and runs through Sunday, the 16th. There are 60 artists participating in this multi-national event.

The juried pieces are displayed Saturday and Sunday, in a large, covered outdoor pavilion at Davendorf Park in Carmel, where they are put into a silent auction. A live auction on Saturday afternoon follows for pieces receiving more than 10 silent auction bids, with an awards ceremony held after the auction. A “quick draw” for award winners is held on Sunday, from 10-12. Attendance numbers in the thousands and it's a great way to see plein air painting in action, meet the artists, and enjoy the beautiful scenery and weather of the Monterrey Peninsula.

An on-line “Absentee Bidding” process is now in place for this festival. To get on the mailing list, email Hella at: cafauction2010@yahoo.com

To see the 2010 schedule of events, go to their web site: www.carmelartfestival.org

The image here is a piece I did at Point Lobos, during last year's festival. It is titled: "Beach Anatomy" and will also be in my upcoming show at Agora Gallery in New York this July 13th. www.agora-gallery.com

We have added a new category to my web site, to be able to post upcoming workshops, dates and details. I am offering 3 pastel painting workshops on Lopez Island this year, plus my annual 10 day plein air, multi-media workshop on Korcula Island, Croatia, this October. View the current classes

The painting here, is one I have just finished from reference photos taken less than 300' from the bed and breakfast where we all stay during the Croatia workshop. It's titled “Days End, Lumbarda, Croatia” and will be framed and available soon at my home gallery on Lopez Island.

I want to send a big thank you to friends and patrons who came to the new exhibit “Early Spring” of The Northwest Masters at La Conner Seaside Gallery last Saturday. We had a large turn-out of about 300 people throughout the day. It was great to see folks from the San Juan Islands, Anacortes, Mt. Vernon, La Conner and the Seattle area! It was also very encouraging to the artists that some gallery sales actually happened on opening night!

My original painting pictured here “Spring Blooms” sold to the Lambiel Museum on Orcas Island, during the opening. It is the museum's second acquisition of one of my pieces.

This exhibit hangs until mid-May and has a great mix of new work to enjoy. See my previous blog for the invitation, list of artists and show dates. Gallery Hours are: Friday-Monday 11-5.

You are invited to attend the "Early Spring" opening reception with The Northwest Masters at La Conner Seaside Gallery SATURDAY, March 20th. Open the image to the left for details. Judy and I will be present at the gallery opening.

My painting (pictured here) was done en plein air at Aix en Provence, France, last September. Mt. Saint Victoire was painted over 30 times by Paul Cezanne, whose atelier (still intact and now a museum) is located just 1/2 mile up the road from where I worked on this piece.

An interesting side note: Picasso bought Cezanne's chateau located in a small village at the base of this famous mountain and lived his last years there (Cezanne died in 1906, Picasso in 1973 – he is buried at the chateau). Picasso was greatly influenced by Cezanne's works and owned several Cezanne master works. He freely "borrowed" compositions from those, which he used as on-going themes throughout his own stellar career. A grand exhibit of these 2 artists' works, especially pieces that Cezanne created and Picasso copied, was at Musee Garnet while we visited Aix.

I think all artists relate visually and metaphorically, to what has been laid-down by others. We respond, even to old themes, within a universal language of design, rhythms and imagery, pulled out of our own bags- of-tricks, while we work. Visiting Cezanne's atelier, the Musee Garnet exhibit of these 2 masters, plus a chance to paint at this rather sacred place in the art world, formed a day of connections for me as a painter, that I'll never forget.

New Works at Northwest Masters Collective Exhibit in La Conner, Washington
“Gernika, Spain” pictured here is one of 10 new pieces I have on exhibit with 12 other Northwest Masters now showing at La Conner Seaside Gallery, through March 9th. Many of the artists are doing “live demos” with their particular discipline, while they sit the gallery. This is a co-op gallery formed and completely staffed by some of the leading artists in the Pacific Northwest. Watch for a “spring show” scheduled to open March 15th, but do get in there now to see this new exhibit! Hours are: Friday-Sunday 11-5. 210 Morris Ave., La Conner.

Note: My inaugural exhibit at Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in the Chelsea District of New York City is up through February 2nd and has received many favorable reviews from collectors and gallery patrons, to date! (See previous blog for exhibit details and gallery hours).

Steven R Hill Opening at Amsterdam Whitney Fine Art Gallery

Friday, January 8th, marks my inaugural exhibit in New York City at Amsterdam Whitney International Fine Art Gallery in the Chelsea District. Go to www.amsterdamwhitneygallery.com for a preview of the work I will be exhibiting during this show, which runs through February 2, 2010.

One of the major pieces in this show was published in the book "The Best of America Pastel Artists and Artisans", Vol. I, by Kennedy Publications in October, 2007. It is titled "La Mattina, Riomaggiore" . . . literally "The Morning" and was completed from studies done in Italy's Cinque Terre, in the southernmost village of Riomaggiore.

The piece pictured here, is from my recent painting trip to Croatia titled "Ancient Walled City, Krk, Croatia", painted in October, 2009. I hope any of my blog subscribers who live around the east coast or who might be visiting New York, can make the opening and see the show! The gallery is located at 511 West 25th Street, Chelsea, New York, NY. A gala opening champagne reception will be held on Thursday, January 14, from 6-8 p.m.

Northwest Masters Exhibit continues at La Conner Seaside Gallery

This new collective exhibit has already been heralded as the highest quality artwork to ever hit the town of La Conner, from a strong group of master artists showing their work through January 6th at the newly formed co-op gallery in La Conner. Sales have been brisk, and the artists have installed a special section of the gallery with smaller works priced to sell. This group is comprised of some of the most collected artists in the region (see invitation from last blog), and is a great opportunity to acquire a high quality, original piece of art for your own collection or as a special holiday gift.

The gallery is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11-5, every week of the year. Annette Tamm, an extraordinary glass artist from Anacortes, has just joined our ranks with some beautiful new works. Don't miss this show . . . it's truly an eclectic mix of some excellent fine art!


The piece pictured here is titled “Spring blooms” from my plein air studies done near La Conner in 2009.