Free Artist Presentation and VAS Monthly Meeting: The Vienna Arts Society invites the public to free virtual art programs the second Thursday of each month. Nationally renowned Oil Painter Jill Banks presented a quick alla prima portrait demonstration at the August 2021 meeting.
Long ago, Jill Banks realized how dull a single frame, out of context, is – no matter how precisely painted. “Put the subject in motion and some magic happens. I paint to capture life’s magic … to transport you inside my oil paintings — to meet who wanders in, feel the day.” That discovery led her on a journey to capture life … from life … soaking it in while standing at her easel.Her 100 Faces in 100 Days Project a decade ago brought a new subject to her studio daily who had the job of being themselves while Banks made their personalities tumble out onto the canvas. From then on, she’s worked at capturing gatherings far and wide, en plein air, in the thick of wonderful, bustling or “at ease” daily life. The greater the challenge of moving parts, the better. Her canvases breathe with rich, saturated colors (she gravitates to subjects that stand out), motion and a sense of being right there. Banks travels for personal painting trips and participating in top plein air juried and just-for-fun competitions. The journeys keep all her senses alive and paying rapt attention – a good thing!Subjects for Banks’ oil paintings include portraiture, cityscapes, interiors, animals and still life. She paints what she loves. She just loves a LOT. To keep still life subjects more interesting – the flowers must be fresh (thus threaten to grow, droop, wilt) and fruit real with changing light as a backdrop. Challenges are cherished.Awards and rewards have been plentiful since Banks turned to art as a second career in 2003. She was chosen as an Artist to Watch…The Editor’s Choice for Up-And-Coming Talent by Southwest Art. Her painting “Daily Special” won Best in Show in the BoldBrush Painting Competition out of 1440 entries. Banks has been #1 Top Seller at Telluride Plein Air twice and won multiple top prizes in the Falls Church and Great Falls plein air events. Her work was featured on the cover of élan Magazine five times. Jill’s paintings have also appeared in American Art Collector, Southwest Art, Fine Art Connoisseur, Art of the West, the Washington Post and Virginia Living.She loves teaching, instilling confidence and joy in her students on their art journeys. In-person classes are offered through the Arts of Great Falls School – including instruction in portraiture, still life, plein air landscape and a mix of genres in an evening paint class. More info and a link to register can be found at: https://www.jillbanks.com/workshops. Banks was selected as one of the Top 9 Painting & Drawing Teachers in the Metro DC area.When Banks is not out at a plein air festival or on a painting excursion elsewhere, she can often be found at her studio at the Artists’ Atelier in Great Falls Virginia. She is a signature member of American Women Artists, Women Artists of the West and the Washington Society of Landscape Artists.Instagram: jillbanks1Facebook: Jill Banks Studiowww.JillBanks.com
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