Jennifer Tobias: 27 May – 05 June 2025
About Jennifer Tobias
Jennifer Tobias began painting solely 12 years ago after a long retail career owning home stores and practicing interior design. In an even more prior life, Jennifer practiced law. She has studied art with national and international instructors, and at schools and art centers in Chicago and Northern Michigan. Jennifer maintains studio practices in Chicago and on Old Mission Peninsula, both along the shores of Lake Michigan.
A life-long Francophile, Jennifer is fluent in French, having studied in, and imported antiques from, different regions of France. Her interest in Art began at age 5, with the gift of a book of full color reproductions of Chagall, Van Gogh, Matisse and other major late 19th and early 20th century painters.
Jennifer describes herself as a colorist, working mainly representationally, and has occasionally been labeled a “fauvist.” Summers are filled with painting the landscapes of northern Michigan, depicting cherry trees, vineyards, lavender fields and shorelines. With the escaping light of Autumn, Jennifer’s work becomes more interior and gestural, moving into expressive abstraction.
Jennifer has taught workshops for beginning to intermediate painters, and works primarily in acrylic paint, along with oil pastel, collage and various media. She looks forward to a retreat in what is a new region of France for her, and can’t wait to explore the imagery and color palette of the Perigord with her students. Jennifer’s husband, Tom, reminds her that non arty types are also welcome (biking companions would be nice!)
Your Workshop with Jennifer
Retreat Description:
Your 9 days at the beautiful Perigord Retreats site will center on regular art instruction, demos and practice. I envision mornings spent painting, a wonderful farm-to-table lunch, then an afternoon tour of the region, except for a day or two of all day touring. We will have 24 hour access to the art studio, and students can paint as little or as much as they are called to. Beginners are welcome!
Topics will include:
-One on one guidance and exploration with students
-Developing confidence with your own painting “voice”
-Creating a painting ritual
-Composing directly from the landscape (environs, vineyards, watergardens, villages)
-Working from our photos of tours
-Learning to abstract the landscape
-Recording our impressions and feeling through gesture
-Creating collage papers
-Learning to paint with a limited palette, for ease and color cohesion
-Cutting up our paintings on paper and re-abstracting using collage papers and other media
-Keeping a travel journal as we tour
-Learning to gently critique our own work and that of others
-Free painting time to start new work or refine class work
-Rest and relaxation time, which is crucial to the creative life
Along with painting, our creative selves will be developed through: exposure to the beauty of medieval villages and natural scenery; meeting fellow artists from around the globe (a source of inspiration and friendship); down time to explore the grounds, kayak, swim (river or indoor pool), hammock, shop, and record your experience through photography and sketching.
*A non-refundable deposit of 1000€ Is required (unless cancelled by Perigord Retreats). Travel insurance is therefore recommended.
**IMPORTANT: Please wait until this workshop is confirmed before booking any flights.
Take a look at some of the excursion locations by clicking here.
Jennifer’s Instagram
Jennifer’s Website
