Jill Stefani-Wagner, a master pastel artist from Saline, travels around the world painting “en plein air,” or outdoors to create landscapes and cityscapes. She tells The Arts Alliance’s Deb Polich and WEMU’s David Fair about her award-winning adventures on this edition of “creative.impact.”
Creative industries in Washtenaw County add hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy. In the weeks and months to come, 89.1 WEMU's David Fair and co-host Deb Polich, the President and CEO of The Arts Alliance, explore the myriad of contributors that make up the creative sector in Washtenaw County.
ABOUT JILL STEFANI-WAGNER
CHASING THE LIGHT
As a contemporary impressionist painter, Jill is obsessed with capturing light. Plein air painting is her passion, but during the colder months, she works on larger pieces in her studio. She paints in both pastel and oil, two mediums which complement each other nicely.
Her subjects are varied, ranging from country landscapes to inner city architecture, from portraits to casual nudes, from seascapes to interiors. She loves to travel and sometimes work from photos she has taken on the road, but when weather permits, her first choice is always to paint outdoors (en plein air), especially in her beloved Italy.
The consistent theme that attracts her is light and shadow. She aims for realism with a painterly twist, but sometimes she allows the rich hues and textures of a scene to dominate. Oil and pastel are exhilarating mediums that lead to endless adventures... and sometimes she's just happy to follow their lead.
BIOGRAPHY
Jill Stefani Wagner’s oil and pastel paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and are included in various corporate and private collections.
Twelve of Jill’s paintings have been accepted into the prestigious International Association of Pastel Societies Exhibits and she has been honored with multiple awards in the Pastel Society of America. The Pastel Society of North Florida recently honored Jill with Best of Show Award in their National Exhibit. Pastel Journal Magazine has awarded her five Honorable Mentions in their Pastel 100 Shows and she has been juried into and recognized in multiple national competitions over the years.
In 2016 Jill's painting appeared on the cover of Plein Air Magazine and is often featured in that publication as well as Fine Art Connoisseur. Pastel Journal has included her pastel paintings in multiple articles and the best selling French magazine, Practique des Arts, has also highlighted her pastel “skyscapes."
Recently Jill was awarded Master Circle status in the International Association of Pastel Societies. A Master Pastelist in the Pastel Society of America, she also belongs to Degas Pastel Society, Great Lakes Pastel Society, Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, Great Lakes Plein Air Painters Association and Ann Arbor Women Artists.
Ms. Wagner has mounted solo exhibitions at The University of Michigan, The University of Michigan Health System, The River Gallery, Monroe Community College, and Pfizer Corporate Headquarters. She teaches art workshops around the country and has been invited Faculty at the Plein Air Convention in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019
Jill Stefani Wagner was born in Port Huron, Michigan. She received a B.F.A. from The University of Michigan School of Art and was the owner and creative director of an award-winning advertising firm in Ann Arbor, before "seeing the light" and becoming a full-time artist.
SELECTED EXHIBITS
2019
Paint the Parks Exhibit Second Place
International Association of Pastel Societies Web Show
Ohio Plein Air Society Competition Honorable Mention Award
Pastel Society of America National Exhibit Pastel Societies of the Southeast Award
Paint Grand Traverse Plein Air Festival Honorable Mention Award
UArt Online Exhibition
Great Lakes Pastel Society Members Exhibit Honorable Mention Award
Oil Painters of America Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils
American Impressionist Society Small Works Showcase
International Association of Pastel Societies Master Circle Exhibition
Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival
Wayne Plein Air Festival Two Honorable Mention Awards
2018
Plein Air Magazine Plein Air Salon Best Pastel Award and Best Plein Air Award
33rd International Association of Pastel Societies Webshow Exhibition
Degas Pastel Society 17th Biennial National Exhibition Award of Merit
Mountain Maryland Plein Air
Pure Color International Online Exhibit
Paint Grand Traverse Plein Air Festival Honorable Mention
Plein Air Magazine Plein Air Salon Best Pastel Award
UArt Online Pastel Competition
Michigan Scapes
Paint Annapolis
Great Lakes Pastel Society National Exhibit Bronze Award
Wayne Plein Air Festival Gamblin Award
2017
International Association of Pastel Societies Web Show Awarded Master Circle Status
Degas Pastel Society 20th Member Exhibition
*Painting Italy
Shades of Pastel
Carmel on Canvas 2 Quick Draw Awards
*Pastels and Oils
Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival Artist Choice Award
University of Michigan Stamps Alumni Exhibition
UArt Online Competition
Mountain Maryland Plein Air Festival Second Place Award
Finger Lakes Plein Air Competition & Festival
Great Lakes Pastel Society Exhibit
2016
Plein Air Magazine Plein Air Salon Best Overall Pastel
Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival Quick Draw First Place Award
Great Lakes Bay En Plein Air Honorable Mention and Quick Draw First Place Award
Finger Lakes Plein Air Competition and Festival
Great Lakes Pastel Society National Exhibit Great American Art Works Award
Wayne Plein Air Painting Festival Golden Artist Colors Award
*Our Town, Our Land – Painting Saline
Pastel Journal Pastel 100 Show Honorable Mention Award
Seneca Plein Air Painting Festival Artists Choice Award
2015
Seneca Plein Air Painting Festival First Place Award
The Pink Exhibit
Painters Paint Italy
Great Lakes Pastel Society Member Exhibit
Pastel Society of America 43rd Annual Exhibition Pastel Society of Canada Award
Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival Quick Draw First Place Award
Brighton Paint Out People’s Choice Award
Great Lakes Bay En Plein Air First Place Award
Finger Lakes Plein Air Competition & Festival
International Association of Pastel Societies PastelWorld Exhibit
Pastel Invitational
Ann Arbor Women Artists 2015 Spring Exhibition Best of Show
2014
Art Off the Wall Exhibition
Terra Nova II
International Association of Pastel Societies Web Show
The Artist’s Magazine 31st Annual Art Competition Finalist
92nd Annual All Media Exhibition
Reaching for the Light
Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival First Place Award
Great Lakes Pastel Society National Exhibit
Terra Nova Landscapes Exhibit
Pastel Journal Pastel 100 Show 2 Honorable Mention Awards
2013
Legacy of the Land Through Art Honorable Mention Award
About: Face Honorable Mention Award
Pastel Society of America 41st Annual Juried Exhibition Pastel Society of the Southwest Award
Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival First Place Award
Great Lakes Pastel Society 2013 Members Exhibit
2012
Pastel Society of North Florida National Exhibition Award of Merit
Great Lakes Pastel Society National Show Terry Ludwig Award
Pastel Society of America 40th Annual Open Juried Exhibition
International Association of Pastel Societies 20th Juried Exhibition
2011
The 2011 International Association of Pastel Societies Web Show
* Faraway Places: history, objects, spirit & spaces
Pastel Society of America 39th Annual Juried Exhibition Art Times Award
Ann Arbor Women Artists 2011 Exhibit 3rd Place Prize
Great Lakes Pastel Society’s Member Show
2010
Great Lakes Pastel Society National Exhibition
Pastel Society of North Florida National Exhibition Exceptional Award of Merit
ArtWalk Group Show
20 x 20 Group Show
Great Lakes Pastel Society National Exhibition
Art on the House
RESOURCES:
Jill Stefani-Wagner on Facebook
Jill Stefani-Wagner on Instagram
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at 734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@emich.edu
