Martin Buber wrote “All real living is meeting.  Meeting means opening up yourself, relating to other people and nature with the whole of your being.”

Last week my last vintage buying group of the year trekked over to France for their time in the Provençal sun.  One of the highlights was our morning spent at French impressionist artist Jill Steenhuis’ home. 

You can’t help but love Jill.  She’s a unique character, brimming with life and spirit.  She receives you with open arms into her gorgeous home.    The quote above I got from one of Jill’s personal newsletters.  And she is a particularly fun person to meet.

If it’s to make a point, she climbs up on furniture without missing a beat,

and then she’ll regale you with stories of her great great grandfather, friend of Mark Twain.

And then maybe she’ll tell you wonderful stories about her sons and meeting her husband.

If you’re lucky you get to meet her horse in the backyard.

Jill is currently in the U.S. on one of her whirlwind tours.  If you’re an art lover, and/or sensitive to the beauty of Provence, and near one of her shows, do go visit and I’m certain you’ll have a memorable encounter with the artist and her work.

Her beautiful Martin Buber quote has inspired a few more posts.  Come back soon for a visit to folks I love meeting up with here in Provence.