“NEW HOPE HILLS”: This oil on canvas work by honored artist Jennifer Hansen Rolli will be featured at the “97th Juried Art Show at Phillips’ Mill,” on view September 26 through November 1 at the Phillips’ Mill Community Association in New Hope, Pa.
Phillips’ Mill Community Association’s juried art show committee has announced the selection of Jennifer Hansen Rolli of Yardley, Pa., as its honored artist for the “97th Juried Art Show at Phillips’ Mill.” The honor is bestowed annually on an artist whose work, dedication, and involvement with the Mill exemplify artistic excellence and camaraderie. Rolli embodies all these qualities.
Rolli has been part of the Phillips’ Mill community for more than 15 years as a frequent exhibitor and former art committee member. Her connection stretches even further back to when she first discovered the Mill some 25 years ago, attending juried shows and educating herself about the region’s artistic heritage. Rolli will be celebrated at the show’s Preview Reception for patrons and accepted artists on Friday, September 25, the evening before the show opens to the public.
For Rolli, being named honored artist at Phillips’ Mill, widely recognized as the Birthplace of Pennsylvania Impressionism, is more than a career milestone.
“This is something I had hoped to achieve in this lifetime,” said Rolli. “There is no other recognition like it for a painter in this area, and it feels really good to have that. As a Bucks County girl, it is everything wrapped into one. This honor means a lot to me.”
A longtime painter of the Bucks County landscape, Rolli’s work embodies the traditions of the Pennsylvania Impressionists who lived near and exhibited at Phillips’ Mill nearly a century ago.
“My work is impressionistic — sunlight, weather, the natural rhythms of the land itself,” she said.
Deeply rooted in plein air painting, many of her canvases feature the canals, the Delaware River, river towns, weathered farmhouses, and rolling hills that inspired the New Hope School artists who continue to inspire her. William Lathrop, founding president of Phillips’ Mill Community Association, is her favorite.
Raised in Yardley, Pa., as the youngest of five children, Rolli first learned to paint at age 9 by tagging along on outdoor outings with her father, her most influential teacher. She went on to earn a BFA in communication design from Kutztown University, built a successful 15-year design studio career in Philadelphia, and has authored four published children’s books. Now a full-time fine artist who is collected well beyond Bucks County, she serves as a cover artist for Bucks County Magazine and recently expanded her perspective through a 2025 artist residency at Château d’Orquevaux in France.
Rolli is represented in the Bucks County area by the Silverman Gallery, as one of the original Core Four. She has been an active member of the Salmagundi Club in New York City since 2019.
Rolli’s work will be prominently featured at the exhibition, which runs from September 26 through November 1, open daily from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Mill. The show is also available online through the Mill’s website at phillipsmill.org. All work
is for sale both at the Mill and online.
Art lovers interested in attending the Preview Reception can do so by becoming a patron through the link at phillipsmill.org.
Phillips’ Mill Community Association is located at 2619 River Road in New Hope, Pa. For more information, call (215) 862-0582 or visit phillipsmill.org.