Noel Van Tol

After 32 years as co-owner of Hilltop Florist and Greenhouse, formerly my parents business, semi-retirement has afforded me the time to renew my love of painting.

Growing up in a florist family instilled in me a love of mature and an opportunity to be creative.

Color makes our world go round whether it is the contrast of a bold blue delphinium and orange gerbera daisy in a floral arrangement, the leaf green on the walls of my living room, or the kaleidoscope of watercolor on my palette.

Weather permitting outdoor painting is my preference. Surrounded by the foliage and blooms of our gardens in Mankato and Moss Point, Mississippi, I have endless subject matter. The subtropical climate on the Gulf Coast offers a longer season for plein-air and also creatures and plants not found in Minnesota.