Sweet Escape
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Sweet Escape
30 x 40 oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
See available forest paintings here
We all need to escape sometimes!
We all need to escape sometimes!
Possibilities Abound
30″ x 40″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Grand Prize Award – California Statewide Painting Competition
Originally published in 2013, and just updated with info on upcoming events and prints.
I’m walking on air . . . I was honored to have won Grand Prize at the California Statewide Painting Competition.
The 1st place award was a solo exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art. (To see pics and videos of my solo show, click here.)
In the words of the curators of the Triton Museum of Art . . .
“Holly van Hart warmed the jurors 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. And as with all great art, the metaphor returns the image to contemplations of us, the viewers. Avian becomes human, the unborn promise becomes our own possibilities, to be nurtured and explored. We are seeing nothing less than the potential of the human spirit, nestled in nature’s bed.”
– Preston Metcalf, Chief Curator
– Ester Fernandez, Curator of Education/Curator
– Stephanie Learmonth, Registrar/Curator
Click here for photos taken at the Triton Museum during the 2013 California Statewide Painting Competition Exhibition.
For upcoming events, click here.
This painting is sold. For prints, 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 –
Want to be the 1st to see pre-release paintings? Click here to become a VIP member.
Did you know that aspen colonies can be thousands of years old? In fact, one of the world’s oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens. It’s in Utah and it is 80,000 years old.
Is aspens could talk, could you imagine the stories they would tell?!
Do you love being in a forest and inhaling deeply? Forest air smells so pure, so fresh and so alive!
This sensory experience is what inspired my new painting ‘Woodscent’ (above). For purchase info, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
Thanks very much for stopping by! If you’d like to see more abstracted forest paintings, click here.
More info here –
Studio visit
Purchase details
Try Before You Buy program
Great question. I like all artists who push the envelope in some exciting way.
Some of my favorite artistic influences include JMW Turner’s late expressionistic landscapes, Georgia O’Keeffe’s magnified images of nature, Mark Rothko’s color-fields, and Joan Mitchell’s huge abstract expressionist paintings. I’m also a huge fan of Walt Whitman, an American poet.
How about you? Who are your faves?
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions
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 –
Studio visit
Purchase details
Try Before You Buy program
Most of us may not feel like geniuses, but everyone has a special quality or skill that is unique to this world. That is the ‘genius in all of us’.
This new floral painting “The Genius in All of Us” features large abstract tulips in red, purple, blue, yellow, and orange. The tulips represent and celebrate the diversity of our individual strengths.
What are your strengths?
My strength is painting. I suppose another strength is being a jack-of-all-trades generalist that includes some of the business skills needed to be a full-time artist and entrepreneur. (Still working on those others!!)
btw, the Genius in All of Us was purchased as a surprise birthday gift for my new friend Heike by her husband.
The Genius in All of Us
Hanging in their beautiful home in Silicon Valley, California
Heike is thrilled with her new painting, so I’m thrilled too 🙂
Interested in seeing other available floral and tree paintings? Or learning about commissions (custom paintings)?
Or learn more on these pages – About, Press (Huffington Post, Professional Artist, ABC News, and more), Testimonials.
Does ‘Wandering in Wonder’ make you want to wander through this forest? And take in the wonder of nature and life? Hope so!
Here’s how this painting looks in a living room –
Wandering in Wonder is sold, but you can see available forest, flower, landscape, and nest paintings here.
More info here –
Studio visit
Purchase details
Try Before You Buy program
Questions? Email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest!
With this new tree painting Slipping Between the Notes, the “notes” are the leaves on the trees. My intention was to paint a sunny, happy forest that tempted you to come in and play.
Will you please join me here, running around and slipping between the notes?
Here are some in-progress pics for this painting –
Here’s the finished painting –
And here’s how it would look against a blue wall –
Want to see all available paintings? Click here to request a digital catalog.
Have you ever been drawn to something so strongly that you needed to do it? Even if it was risky and even if you might not succeed, you knew this was the right direction for you?
With ‘Into the World of Light’, I wanted the viewer to feel compelled to enter the painting. To bask in the warmth of the sun. To explore what’s over those hills. To ponder the freedoms that lie ahead.
To find the right direction for myself, I usually need lots of time to think and let my mind wander freely. Without that, it’s too easy to get pulled into everyday obligations and routines.
‘The gift of time’ is one of the best things I can do for myself. Do you find the same?
Here are in-progress pics for Into the World of Light –
The start of the painting. It may look like fog, but my plan is for this to become a well-lit forest.
Next I painted in the sunlit field and (at the top) some branches and leaves.
Here I’m using my new watercolor techniques (but with acrylic paints).
Close-up of the sunlit mountain.
Finished!
Into the World of Light
48 x 60″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
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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.
And (take a deep breath) here’s the finished painting . . .
‘A Deep Breath’ is hanging in my entryway.
It could be hanging in yours!
Purchase info here
To purchase, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com
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.
Many of the paintings on this site have been sold.
Request a digital catalog of available paintings
[click here]
Click for more videos – https://hollyvanhart.com/YouTube-Videos
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What’s beyond the branches that we see here? ‘Beyond the Visible’ (above) nudges us to reflect on the mysteries of the unknown.
The painting is currently hanging in my home, but it could be hanging in yours!
For purchase info, click here. Questions? Email me at holly.vanhart@gmail.com
My intent for Winter Sparkle was to create a winter scene that draws you in.
The sky had to be sparkly, and give the effect of light shimmering through the trees. (Turns out this required about 20 layers of light blue, yellow and pink paints.)
I wanted the path to be inviting.
The painting was intended to give the feeling of one of those cold, wintry days that makes you feel so alive!
This painting is inspired by the same forest as my painting entitled Summer Sparkle. Same forest, different season. To see the latest spring, summer, fall, and winter forest paintings, click here.
To see all available paintings, click here.
Hi there. Hope you’re well!
We’re experiencing hot summer weather this week, but it feels like Christmas!
Two new 8″ brushes just came in the mail. (Guess I’m easy to please.)
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A blast from the past! As published in 2017 –
Just found out I was awarded Best of Houzz award for my abstract nature paintings. This is the second year in a row. Wow, feeling so honored!
Huge thanks to my supporters and collectors and reviewers on Houzz. You are the best!
If you’re not already familiar with Houzz, it is the leading platform for home design and remodeling. It is chock full of awesome images that people use to find design ideas for their homes.
To see what my paintings look like in collectors’ homes, look at the pics below (or to the right, depending on your screen). Here’s one example –
You’re Invited
Oil and acrylic painting
Hung in collector’s entryway
These awards were based in part on the many 5-star reviews received on Houzz and other testimonials from collectors.
Thank you to all the reviewers. You made my day (my year!)
Just released . . . Free Art Book!
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”10302″ alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”http://hollyvanhart.com/free-painting-inspirations-book/”][vc_empty_space height=”16px” css=”.vc_custom_1483468001264{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column_text width=”450px”]See Holly Van Hart’s top 25 paintings, paired with favorite inspirational quotes. Free Book full of exciting images and ideas![/vc_column_text][vcex_button url=”http://hollyvanhart.com/free-painting-inspirations-book/” align=”center” size=”medium” color=”red” custom_color=”#ffffff” custom_hover_color=”#cccccc” css_wrap=”.vc_custom_1483486607972{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]FREE DOWNLOAD[/vcex_button][vc_empty_space height=”16px” css=”.vc_custom_1483468001264{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]Sometimes we have to make choices in life . . . it’s this OR that. Here OR there. Tomorrow OR next week.
And sometimes we can do both! This AND that. Here AND there. Tomorrow AND next week. That’s called ‘Embracing It All’ –
Embracing It All is currently hanging in my living room. But it could be hanging in yours! Email holly.vanhart@gmail.com for details
Just wanted to thank you, my friends, collectors, followers, and other art-lovers, for all your support and enthusiasm. You’re awesome. My life is richer because of you!
‘Sunset Glow’ is about the stunning beauty of the sky and water at sunset, especially its glorious colors. It’s also about the exciting reflections in the water, which amplify the colors and the take-your-breath-away feeling of sunsets like these.
If you look carefully, you can see some swooping textures underlying this painting (under the water, on both sides of the painting); on the left side, the texture runs from the water, through the docks, and into the horizon line.
What’s this texture about? It represents things that might not be so wonderful about this scene. Mostly the things we cannot see but can only speculate about, or the things we would need to have prior knowledge about.
For example, this harbor looks beautiful on this evening, but just 8 months prior, it had been completely ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. There’s always more to the story than meets the eye.
The artist creates the painting, and the viewer (that’s you) completes it with their personal interpretation. What’s yours? Email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
Originally published in 2013, and just updated
For more “What inspired this painting” articles, click here.
Trees and forests can be magical, beautiful and mysterious. They captivate me, and have inspired hundreds of landscape paintings.
With Architect of Peace, I want you the viewer to feel intrigued enough to step into the painting. To explore this new world that shimmers with light and colors and peace. Welcome. Enjoy.
To enquire about this painting, please email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I answer the questions I’m most frequently asked as an artist (usually asked at parties and other fun events). For the answers, click on the links. Enjoy!
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.
If you look at a painting of a mountain or lake or sky and then gasp because of its beauty, it’s often because of an amazing portrayal of light.
Two of the all-time masters at portraying light were JMW Turner and Claude Monet. You’ve probably heard of them 🙂
“Keelmen Heaving in Coals by Moonlight”, JMW Turner, 1835
Turner was known as ‘the painter of light’, and was one of the greatest British landscape painters of his time. In the above work, take a look at Turner’s portrayal of the moonlight on the clouds and in the water, and the firelight and its reflections. Amazing!
“Haystacks (Sunset)”, Claude Monet, 1891
Twenty years after Turner’s death, Claude Monet founded Impressionism. Impressionism was all about the portrayal of light, and Monet would sometimes work on a dozen paintings a day; each one depicted a slightly different aspect of light.
Monet would continue working on these paintings over the course of days, switching from one painting to the next when the time and light were just right.
“Haystacks (Sunset)”, above, is one excellent example. What do you think of those sunset purples and reds? They just take my breath away.
“Morning Light”
Oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
This last work (very humbly put after the two above it) is mine. It is here as an example of a painting that was intended to capture the morning light over a beautiful little lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.
Painting light was (and is) the focus of a great many artists. Other masters include Vermeer, Valazquez, and Rembrandt.
Who are your faves? Drop me a line at holly.vanhart@gmail.com and let me know.
Do you ever feel like leaving all your obligations and routines behind (at least for an hour or two, or a week or two)? Do you feel like running free?
I’d like viewers to look at this painting and get that exact feeling. To get lost in the forest and the light, and to feel completely unencumbered.
Ready?
If you’d like to see some in-progress pics of this painting, here you go –
Running Free is sold, but you can <a href=”https:///available-paintings/#forest-paintings” target=”_blank”>see available forest paintings here</a>.
Want to be the first to see new paintings as they are released? Become a VIP! Click for details.
Living a life of abundance means so many different things. For me, part of the satisfaction of an abundant life includes sharing with others.
I love it when friends, artists, gallery owners, curators and others share their secrets with me. Even after all these years here on earth, I have plenty to learn about life, love, art & everything!
And I’m happy to divulge my secrets in return. (I’m pretty much an open book, so there really aren’t many secrets. But I’m not a chatty person so you might have to ask me to draw them out.)
‘Divulging the Secrets’ is a celebration of sharing!
This painting is sold, but you can see available forest, flower, and landscape paintings here. (Also, you can check out the try-before-you-buy program, and purchase info.)
To see more flower paintings and read more about their inspirations, click here.