Springing
40″ x 30″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (Sold)
‘Springing’ got its name because (to me) it looks like the whole painting is springing to life. A nest with 3 eggs, a tree with dozens of red flower buds, and sweeping textures are all combined to give the painting a certain energy and vivaciousness.
This painting now resides in a beautiful home in the UK. To see available paintings, click here.
btw, if you’re wondering ‘What’s up with all the nests?’, click here.
Trees can have a commanding presence, especially when they are tall. Do you love being surrounded by towering forest? I do!
I aimed to capture that feeling here with my new tree painting, Standing Tall –
Here are some in-progress pics for this painting –
Here’s the finished painting –
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The holidays are almost here. Need a special gift for your special someone?
New! Petite Treasures are gift-sized original paintings by yours truly. They are created with the same great care used with my large-scale paintings, and with the highest quality archival materials. Each painting is museum-quality and ready to hang in the finest of homes and work spaces.
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One of my recent paintings took an imaginative and unexpected turn. It started out as one thing, but ended up as something else entirely!
I started this painting thinking it would be an abstracted forest. Once the sky was painted, I was going to let it dry before working on the trees and leaves.
But . . . I was really digging the colors and simplicity of this first layer of paint, and decided to go in a different direction.
The painting would be an abstract landscape. It would need many more layers to give it the depth and glow I was seeking.
And here’s the finished painting . . .
What does this painting make you think of? I’ve heard many different interpretations from friends and other studio vistors!
The Boundary of Spring
48 x 36″ oil and acrylic painting by Holly Van Hart
$4800
Currently hanging in my entryway, but it could be hanging in yours!
More info
* For purchase info, click here.
* Questions? Interested in owning this painting? Please contact holly.vanhart@gmail.com or 650 646 5590. Your email or call is always welcome.
* See this painting in person with a studio visit or with the try-out program.
Soft Start
Oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Buy a print
Wishing that your day will be as full of exciting possibilities . . .
as the eggs being incubated in this cozy feathered nest.
(Do any birds’ nests actually look like this? Well, yes, kind of . . . learn more here.
Holly
P.S. Soft Start was featured in my solo exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art. Would you like to know more about the show? You’re invited to read my interview in the Huffington Post, or to view the pics and videos from the museum exhibition.
2020 brought us a global pandemic and was a very trying year. There were many hardships but also some bright silver linings. Here are the highlights . . .
In February, Ike and I celebrated the 30th anniversary of our first date. What a fabulous 3 decades it’s been. Lucky us!!
We visited Ike’s Mom in Canada in January. She turned 90 this year! (shown: Erik, Oma, Skyler)
Recognized with an art achievement award from the National League of American Pen Women. Feeling so honored.
Did amazing local hikes and met fascinating new friends by joining the San Jose Mid-Week Hikers Group. The group stopped meeting in March due to the pandemic, but a few of us continued to hike together (socially distanced, with masks, in groups of 2 or 3).
Spectacular week-long hiking vacation in Death Valley with my friend Adrienne (pre “shelter in place”).
Our oldest son Skyler graduated with honors from Saratoga High School. Due to covid, he had a drive-through graduation. Sky then headed off to Ohio to study bioengineering at Case Western Reserve University.
With my friend Maria, we did a 2-week road trip and visited 5 gorgeous national parks in Utah. (shown: Arches National Park)
Received the prestigious Art Recognition Award from the The National Society | Daughters of the American Revolution.
Loved loved loved the bounty from my husband’s garden – figs, tomatoes, persimmons, lemons, cala lilies, begonias and more 🙂
Mountain biked in the local Fremont Older Open Space Preserve every week with my friends Ellen and Ying. We usually cancelled when the air was smoky (as in this pic) but sometimes we just needed to get out there!
Started mentoring first generation college-bound students. The MVLA Scholars AVID mentoring program is all volunteer and very impressive.
At Mirada Fine Art Gallery in Colorado for my solo show. I’m proud to be working with this prestigious gallery. It has been selected for many awards, including American Art Awards “Top 25 US Galleries”.
Thanks to great friends, we enjoyed many happy hours and meals outside this year. Socially distanced, sometimes with masks, always super-fun.
One last highlight . . . and the most important for 2020 – Our family and extended family remained Covid-free. Knock wood. We have been so very fortunate.
All the best to you, my friend, for next year and beyond. Stay healthy. The best is yet to come!
I am inspired by life’s limitless possibilities, and my abstract nature paintings are meant to spark new excitement about reaching our biggest, boldest dreams.
This latest painting ‘Forest Reverie’ represents the beginning of a new year or a new season. Colorful opportunities sparkle all around us, and beckon us to reach them. Will we pick the closest, easiest one, or will we stretch further to find our passion?
Let’s stay in touch! Learn more
This blog post is the latest addition to my ‘Top 50 Questions’ list. See/read more here.
Here’s my latest abstracted forest painting –
Embracing the Light
48 x 60″ mixed media painting on canvas by Holly Van Hart
$7,500
This pic shows Embracing the Light installed (center) –
Abstracted forest paintings by Holly Van Hart
Woodland Symphony, Embracing the Light, Autumn Dance, and The Stories They Tell
Please contact holly.vanhart@gmail.com or 650 646 5590 for availability and pricing. Your email or call is welcome any time.
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I answer the top 50 questions I’m asked as an artist (usually at cocktail parties and other fun social events).
I’ve gone crazy for nests. Well, really I’ve gone crazy for eggs and nests and what they represent.
All my paintings with nests are meant to express the boundless possibilities and opportunities we have in our lives, and are part of my “Possibilities” series. Larger-than-life eggs and nests symbolize the promise of our own capabilities, to be nurtured and explored and stretched to their fullest potential.
My intentions are given away by the titles of some of the paintings – Possibilities in Full Color, Unlimited Possibilities, and Possibilities Abound (winner of the California Statewide Painting Competition).
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions
Follow Holly’s latest art news, exhibits, and special offers (and get a free eBook). Learn more here.
Meet Diane F
Adventurer, Mom, Retired Sales Executive
A collector of my art, and now a friend
What’s the favorite part of your job? Whether you’re a banker, lawyer, stay-at-home parent, or an artist, we all have something we love most about our jobs.
The favorite part of my job is . . . you!
Really. The absolute best part of being an artist is that it gives me an excuse to get to know you better. I feel honored to know you, and to keep in touch with you.
(Plus, as you may have guessed, I love playing around with gorgeous, buttery oil paints all day long.)
So, today I’m featuring Diane F, a fascinating and accomplished woman, a collector of my art, and now a friend.
Here are some of the many things that are totally cool about Diane –
Diane recently remodeled her home, and commissioned me to make a painting for her spacious living room. In honor of Diane’s cool accomplishments, the painting is named ‘Dreams within Reach’.
Video – The making of Diane F’s custom painting
(Link to all videos on Holly’s YouTube video channel)
It’s a privilege to know you Diane!!!
You know that sense of grandeur we get when surrounded by a beautiful forest? That’s what I was aiming to capture with this painting, Woodland Symphony.
When giving this painting its name, the word ‘symphony’ came to mind. In a great symphony, all the musical notes work together in intriguingly complex and beautiful ways. In a painting, the color notes have to work together in similarly intriguing ways.
btw, if you’re curious, here are some in-progress pics of Woodland Symphony –
The beginnings of Woodland Symphony
Working on Woodland Symphony (almost as tall as I am)
Sometimes it’s better to work on a painting sideways
Woodland Symphony (left), Wandering in Wonder (center) and The Grand Escape (right), mixed media paintings by HVH. These paintings are currently hanging in my living room, but they could be hanging in yours 🙂
Thanks for stopping by. If you’d like to see more abstracted forest paintings, click here.
For purchase info, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
Hello art lovers!
You’re invited! Please join me at my home gallery and studio in Tiburon, California for an ongoing art exhibition.
Dates: By appointment Email holly.vanhart@gmail.com and let’s make a date.
Location: Tiburon, California (near San Francisco)
More than twenty new abstract nature paintings are on display and for purchase – forests, fields, flowers, nests, landscapes and more.
Plus you’ll see some brand new experimental work that is only available in my studio.
The Open Studio event includes a tour of my home gallery as well as my home studio.
Seeing art in person is the absolute best way to experience it. Please take this opportunity to visit!
Make an appointment and add it to your calendar today. See you soon!
For news on upcoming open studio and gallery events, sign up for my mailing list. (One email every 2-3 weeks.)
As you scroll down, you’ll see the progression of a newly released painting called ‘A Deep Breath’.
But first, I’d like to share this quote because captures my inspiration for this painting . . .
“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.” — Alice Walker
One cool way to make a perfect, imperfect painting is to rely on lots of drips. That’s what I’ll do here.
The drips can look like trunks, and branches, and, well, drips.
In the art world, when you can clearly see signs that something is a painting (and not a photo and not a photorealistic painting), we call this “painterly”.
This will be painterly.
Here’s a detail view.
The closer up you look, the more painterly it gets!
And (take a deep breath) here’s the finished painting . . .
A Deep Breath
48 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$6500
‘A Deep Breath’ is hanging in my entryway.
It could be hanging in yours!
Purchase info here
To purchase, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com
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Yes, I love to listen to music all day long in my studio!
Usually I listen to a custom Pandora station or downloads on Spotify. Some of my current faves are –
The XX
Portishead
Lorde
Florence and the Machine
Feist
Lana Del Rey
Jem
Bjork
Sometimes I need a break from music, and will switch to listening to podcasts. (For my list of top ten podcasts for artists, click here.)
When I need a break from podcasts, then I listen (not watch) Netflix movies. I’m too occupied with painting to ‘get’ the whole movie, but I get enough to make it fun and interesting.
How about you . . . do you listen to anything while you work?
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions.
If you’d like to ask a question, please email me holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
To live life to the fullest, we’re often told to give the highest value to our relationships. And that things like fancy cars, clothes, homes, TVs, phones, etc give us only very fleeting pleasure.
Do you find this to be true for yourself?
I do, for the most part. Spending time with family and friends is my absolute favorite thing in the world. Hands down. Without question. I value these relationships above all things. (Hence the name of the painting.)
Don’t get me wrong . . . many things give me lasting pleasure too. Mostly visual things. I still love the shape of the wedding ring we picked out over 15 years ago. And the windows in our home that let in lots of light. And some pieces of our furniture. My husband’s garden. The list is very long.
What’s your experience? What do you value ‘above all things’?
To check out more flower paintings and the inspirations behind them, click here.
This painting is sold. To see all available paintings, click here.
The abstract nature paintings you see on this website are inspired by life’s limitless possibilities!
Each painting is meant to convey a sense of plenty, fullness, color, prosperity, and opportunity. Sometimes we have all of these things in our lives. Sometimes we’re only wishing for them.
But it’s always nice to think and dream about them!
‘A Full Life’ is available for purchase (30 x 40″ original oil painting on canvas, painted on the edges, wired on the back, ready to hang, $3800 + tax). For a limited time, shipping is free for VIP members. Contact holly.vanhart@gmail.com for details.
See my YouTube channel here! Painting demos, artist talks, museum tours and more.
Want to be the first to know when new videos and paintings are released? Become a VIP member today. Click for details.
Here’s a blast from the past . . . originally published December 2013, and updated afterward with new links –
West Valley Artist Wins Statewide Painting Competition
Former high-tech worker is now pursuing a new career as a full-time artist.
By Rob Klindt , December 19, 2013
Artist Holly Van Hart poses with her oil-on-canvas painting “Possibilities Abound.”
A nature painting by Saratoga artist Holly Van Hart recently snagged a first place award in the 2013 Statewide Painting Competition hosted by the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara. Also garnering a first place award for his painting was San Jose artist Cuong Nguyen.
The competition, which was open to just California artists, drew more than 1,000 entries. From those entries, 92 were selected to be exhibited at the Triton Museum.
The winners were chosen by a panel of three jurors from the Triton Museum, including Chief Curator Preston Metcalf, Curator of Education Ester Fernandez, and Registrar/Curator Stephanie Learmonth.
Van Hart’s winning entry, an oil-on-canvas painting entitled “Possibilities Abound,” was showcased at a Dec. 13 reception for the winners at the Triton Museum. The nature-themed painting depicts a collection of eggs in a bird nest.
In acknowledging Van Hart’s first prize, the Triton curatorial team was complimentary of the artist’s style and technique. “Holly Van Hart warmed us with her painting Possibilities Abound. A nest cradles eggs, rendered with a confident, loose brushstroke that evokes a sense that this could be any nest, anywhere . . . We are seeing nothing less than the potential of the human spirit, nestled in nature’s bed,” the team wrote.
Van Hart’s previous awards include 2009 Artist of the Year from the Los Gatos Art Association, and a California State Fair Merit Award. She is an art docent and volunteer math teacher at Foothill Elementary school in Saratoga.
After working 20 years in the Silicon Valley high-tech sector, Van Hart recently decided to move on and pursue a new career as a full-time artist. “I plan to enjoy a long career as an artist because this definitely feels like what I was meant to do,” she said.
The Triton Museum of Art is located at 1505 Warburton Avenue in Santa Clara, California.
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I’ll answer the top questions I’m asked as an artist. (These questions are usually asked at cocktail parties and other fun social events.)
Yes! Thanks for asking 🙂
My paintings are in a bunch of galleries, listed here.
You can also see my work at my Open Studio and other upcoming events; click here for details.
Originally posted here in 2016, and reposted now in honor of the Saratoga marching band
Saratoga Rose, Watercolor painting by Holly Van Hart
The amazing Marching Band at Saratoga High School has been selected to march in the 2016 Rose Bowl Parade. Congratulations!!!
You can read more here in the San Jose Mercury News article, and see a YouTube video of this exciting announcement here.
In the Marching Band’s honor, I am posting this watercolor painting, ‘Saratoga Rose’, created a few years ago.
Once again, a huge congratulations to the Saratoga HS Marching Band!!!!
Want to see more flower paintings?
Click here.
For a free catalog of Holly Van Hart’s paintings, click here.
Autumn Reds
30 x 24″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Buy a print
Commission a forest painting
The other day, a friend asked why I had started painting birch trees. One reason is that they are so darn gorgeous!! (I get reminded of this just about every day, because we have a lot of birch trees here in Saratoga.)
Birch tree trunks are highly textured and have a wide range of values, from white to very very dark in the shadows. And the leaves, in an autumn setting, offer a huge range of warm colors to work with – reds, oranges, yellows, golds. An artist’s dream!
If you dig the warmth of the sun (like I do), please step into my forest.
‘The Grand Escape’ is fresh off the easel, not even dry yet!
Additional abstract forest paintings are available for sale here.
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I answer the top 50 questions I’m asked as an artist (usually at cocktail parties and other fun social events).
How does an artist feel before a big art exhibition?
Like standing naked in front of a crowd!
Do you know that feeling of creating something new (product, recipe, marketing campaign, etc), and then feeling exposed and vulnerable when you revealed it?
Well, that’s how we artists feel every time our art is exposed to the world . . . vulnerable. It’s true for novice artists as well as the most experienced and even (I hear) famous artists.
Putting on a brave face before my Open Studio event
Behind me is ‘Posh’, oil painting by Holly Van Hart
And the bigger the art exhibition, the greater the feeling of exposure. The reason is that the most authentic artwork will reflect an artist’s deepest feelings and thoughts and ideas.
So when we exhibit our art, it feels like we’re standing naked in front of a crowd. (Or how I imagine that would feel, as I’ve never actually been naked in front of a crowd.)
Holly
Palm Winds
Detail of oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
See full painting here
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I’ll answer the top 50 questions I’m asked as an artist.
The absolute best thing about being an artist is that it opens up a whole world of connections and friendships. It also strengthens the friendships I already have. I love that.
In terms of my work, I love creating a painting that is a personal breakthrough, or that others really like. (The overlap is not always 100%.) It’s hugely inspiring when a painting wins an award, or is accepted into an exhibit, or is purchased by a collector. These things make me thrilled to be in the studio and painting every day.
Yes, absolutely! Being a full-time artist feels like what I was meant to do.
In 2013, I made the decision to leave a 20-year career in high tech to become a professional artist. (While in high tech, I painted with passion, exhibited my work, and sold it. But painting was a hobby then.)
Being in high tech was challenging, interesting, and rewarding. High tech gave me the opportunity to work with so many fascinating people, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
But I definitely made the right decision! High tech was fun, but a career in the arts is even “funner”.
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions I’m asked as an artist (usually at cocktail parties or other fun events).
Originally posted in 2013 and just reposted with updated links to pics and videos of the show
My solo exhibit at the Triton Museum of Art will run from late November 2014 – mid February 2015. If you haven’t been there before, the Triton is a beautiful contemporary art museum in Santa Clara, CA.
This exhibit opportunity came about because my painting ‘Possibilities Abound’ was awarded first place in the Statewide Painting Competition hosted by the Triton. The prize was a solo exhibit.
The title of the solo exhibit will be ‘Possibilities’, and the theme is the virtually limitless possibilities that are available to us in life. In the Possibilities series, eggs are used to represent the unborn promise in our lives, and the nests represent the wonderful variety of homes we build for ourselves.
I’ll need about 15-20 paintings for the exhibit. About 1/2 are done. Some of the paintings are sold but (luckily!) the owners have offered to loan them back.
Preston Metcalf, Chief Curator of the Triton Museum, will decide how the paintings will be hung in the Rotunda gallery. He asked that I be there to give input, and I’m very much looking forward to the day we work together to hang the show.
The reception is December 12, 2014, 6-8pm. This will be the biggest art event so far in my career.
For photos and videos of my solo show and reception at the Triton Museum of Art, click here. (You can also download the catalog from the show . . . free!)
Come along for a walk into my dream world . . .
In Our Own Dream World is currently available. Free delivery in the continental US.
Would you like to see more? Please email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
More info here –
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My husband is a gardener. I feel very fortunate to have his beautiful trees and and flowers growing all around us as inspiration for my paintings.
On my short walk to the studio each day, I pass bougainvillea, roses, amaryllis, daffodils, lemons, oranges, figs and more (depending on the season). Lucky me!
I am also inspired every time I go for a walk in our neighborhood and on local hiking trails.
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