In the past two months, local artist Steve Hill has not only won the best of show award at a national competition, but he received an invitation to exhibit at the prestigious Florence Biennale December 2011. “I’m still in disbelief,” Hill said.

Hill, a Lopez resident, has already made a name for himself locally and nationally, with work displayed in Agora Gallery in New York City, Crow Valley Gallery on Orcas and Windswept Fine Art Gallery on Lopez.

Hill won his best of show in the 24th annual International Exhibit of the Northwest Pastel Society. The show, which totaled around 66 contestants, was juried by Duane Wakeham, a renowned and distinguished pastel painter. The exhibit continues to be on view at the American Art Company in Tacoma.

The piece that won Hill his award was the pastel painting “Resting under evening skies.”

This piece was executed in his favorite environment, “en plein air,” a genre of painting in which the artist works outside.

“En plein air’ is my favorite method of painting. It really translates to ‘open air, painting from live subject matter, in natural light’. It is very challenging, as the light constantly shifts and everything (colors, values, shapes, forms) changes as you work, but also quite exciting and gratifying when it all pulls together,” Hill said.

Hill is still considering which works to send to Florence next year for the Biennale. He described the show as “a huge invitational International Bienniel Art Exhibit, showcasing artists from 78 countries at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy. It’s formed by selection committees from Arte Studio (internal) or by important cultural entities, after approval by the internal selection committee, or artists can submit portfolios independently to exhibit there.”

“I was selected by the internal committee, which include major museum directors, art historians, etc., from Italy, Mexico, Brazil, India, France, the U.S. China and Austria,” Hill said.

Hill said he will send a few pieces to Italy, either two large or four smaller works.

After he has chosen the paintings they will be shipped next July. The artist himself plans to follow in December for the festival itself which runs from Dec. 3-11.