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.
Do you love birch and aspen trees as much as I do? These days, I’m happily immersed in autumnal birch tree forests.
Here are some details from my in-progress painting, Autumn Dance (48 x 36″) –
There’s something about them that seems to be universally appealing. For one thing, they are so gorgeous.
Birch and aspens look very similar to each other, so I had to look up what the differences are. If you’re curious, here are the highlights –
btw, here’s the completed painting –
And here’s the completed painting hanging on my living room wall (left) –
‘Autumn Dance’ ‘Summer Sparkle’ and ‘Amid the Scent of Roses’
These paintings are hanging in my living room, but they could be in yours 🙂
Would you like to see this painting in person?
To purchase, email holly@hollyvanhart.com. Free shipping in the US.
New! Where would this path lead us to? Not sure? Neither am I, but it looks like a fun and colorful place. Let’s check it out!
To purchase, email holly@hollyvanhart.com. Free shipping in the US.
Learn more about what inspires me as an artist in this ‘Talk Art’ cable TV interview by Sally Rayn (excerpt).
Click here to see the full video.
Hi there! Here’s one of my latest forest paintings (and the first one completed in a square format) . . .
Circling of the Seasons
48 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$6500
To purchase, email holly@hollyvanhart.com
Click here for Try Before You Buy, Studio Visit, and Purchase info
Want to see how this painting was made? Here are some pics . . .
And, in video . . .
For more info, check these out –
* Try before you buy program
* Come for a studio visit
* Info on purchasing
To purchase, email holly@hollyvanhart.com.
Want to see more in-progress paintings? Check out these videos hollyvanhart.com/youtube-videos
Thanks for being here!
For more videos, click here – hollyvanhart.com/YouTube-Videos
This painting, Woodland Symphony, is now finished and available at Gallery Elite in Carmel, California! If you’re in the area, please stop by and look for the wall with 7 of my paintings.
To see the latest available paintings, click here hollyvanhart.com/Available_Original_Paintings
Re-sharing a special moment from 2009 . . . I have some good news to share with you. My painting “You too I welcome” was accepted into the California Fine Art Competition and Exhibition, and it won an Award of Merit.
The juror was Jack Ogden, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Sacramento. Jack Ogden has received numerous awards and honors over his career, and his work is in the permanent collections of many museums.
Thank you Professor Ogden. I’m feeling very honored 🙂
A new article published on The Commissioned!
Meet Holly Van Hart, the Energetic and Calm Artist
“You perfectly transformed my dream into reality in the form of a stunningly beautiful painting.”
— Dr. S. Hall, Ventura, California (a satisfied collector of Holly’s paintings)
One word that best describes your style: Energetic yet calm
1. What does a typical day in your life look like?
I wake up and can’t wait to get painting! Usually I’m in the studio and painting in the early morning, then enjoy breakfast with my husband and sons, then back to the studio for a full day of painting. Evenings are for taking care of the business part of being an artist…updating my website, responding to emails, etc.
2. What does your studio look like?
I have a home studio in a separate part of the house that comfortably holds me and lots of canvases – big and small! It has lots of windows and even a door that is mostly a window.
3. Tell us one unique thing about you and your art.
Collectors tell me they find my work inspirational. I’m honored by that, because with titles like ‘Possibilities Abound’, ‘Larger than Life’, and ‘Dream Weaver’, that’s exactly what I had in mind when painting them.
4. What do you love most about being an artist?
I love how it connects me to people…giving me new friends and strengthening ties with established friends.
5. What are 3 things you can’t live without in a day?
Painting, chocolate, time with my family and friends.
6. Where do you get inspiration when you need it most?
Internally, and from looking around in nature. Also, other artists are a huge inspiration.
7. What does success look like to you?
Making paintings that I’m proud of, and finding collectors who love to have them.
To create a stunning piece of calm and beauty, visit hollyvanhart.com/commission-painting .
To see the rest of Holly’s Top 50 Questions, click 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).
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.
Landscapes are a subject I come back to again and again. Even in the midst of working on a series of forest or flower paintings, sometimes I feel compelled to paint an abstract landscape using oil paints.
With ‘Grazing the Light’, I was aiming to capture the feeling of an overcast day, but with some sunlight breaking through. Across the expanse of water, we can see mountains near and far. But what is that splash of yellow/orange? Is it man-made or natural? It is meant to add mystery to the painting.
It’s hard to see in this digital image, but etched into the foreground of this painting (bottom left) is part of a poem by Walt Whitman, “Every hour is an unspeakably perfect miracle”.
If you’d like to see a higher resolution image, please lmk.
To purchase, email holly@hollyvanhart.com. Free shipping in the US.
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I’ll answer the top things I’m asked as an artist. (These questions usually come up at cocktail parties and other fun social events.)
Sure!
I definitely miss seeing my work-friends and colleagues more regularly. They were/are an amazingly talented and multi-faceted group of people. Good thing Facebook and LinkedIn give us an easy way to keep in touch!
What I also loved about high tech was the opportunity to constantly stretch myself and learn new things. Luckily I have that in abundance as an artist too.
One thing’s for sure . . . Being a full-time artist feels like what I was meant to do.
To read more about my career move to professional artist, click here.
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions.
When you see the color blue, what do you think of?
In the art world, the color blue represents trust, loyalty, strength, and leadership.
Truth is, when painting How Dreams are Made (above), none of that was top of mind. ‘Dreaming big’ was in my thoughts. Read/see more here.
Possibilities on High
24″ x 30″ oil on canvas
Commission a custom nature painting
Yes, that does happen sometimes, unfortunately.
Usually I’m brimming with ideas for paintings, and almost always have a few ideas that are competing for attention on any given day.
But on some days I’m just not feeling it. When that happens, I follow the advice of Chuck Close, an amazing and famous artist, who says “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. . . . All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.”
That’s my experience too. Once I pick up a pencil or paintbrush, ideas will often reveal themselves. Then I’m inspired all over again!
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions
Have a question to add to the top 50? Please send an email to holly@hollyvanhart.com.
For a holiday party, I paired a painting with a custom cocktail. ‘The Boundary of Spring’ (above) was paired with a cocktail I named ‘Spring-tini’.
Here’s the recipe –
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce pear juice
1 ounce rosemary syrup (I used rosemary from our front garden)
A squeeze of fresh lemon (we picked the lemons from trees in our back yard)
Rosemary sprig, for garnish
Why Spring-tini is paired with The Boundary of Spring
The Spring-tini cocktail has pear juice. Pear is a soft flavor; it is analogous to the soft sky in the painting.
Rosemary has a tea-like aroma and an assertive piney flavor; it is analogous to the stronger color of the green/brown ground in the painting.
Vodka is a subtle but absolutely necessary component of this drink. Similarly, the texture in the painting is both subtle and absolutely necessary to the success of the painting.
Enjoy!
Come take a tour through my solo exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art! Learn the stories behind a few key paintings, and see the exhibition installed in the Triton’s Rotunda Gallery.
“Van Hart’s hard-won painterly skills are undeniable and compelling. Her naturalistic yet symbolic paintings . . . present their enigmatic subjects with both beauty and conviction, memorably.” – DeWitt Cheng, Art writer for Art Ltd, Artillery, ARTnews, and Visual Art Source
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Autumn Gold
24 x 18 oil painting by Holly Van Hart
In the heat of the summer, I was dreaming about the crisp fall days of my favorite season. So here’s ‘Autumn Gold’.
Who doesn’t love the colors of fall leaves? The variety and brilliance are an artist’s dream!
To see more abstract forest paintings, click here.
Let’s stay in touch! Learn more
Palm Winds (detail)
Oil painting by Holly Van Hart
See full painting here
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I’ll answer the top questions I’m asked as an artist. (These are usually asked at cocktail parties and other fun social events.)
Can I mix styles of art in my home? Yes!
Combining a mix of art styles in your home shows off your unique tastes, life experiences, and creativity. It personalizes your home, makes it even more interesting, and opens up whole new conversations.
That’s my humble opinion 🙂 To look at some ideas from professional interior designers, click here.
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions
Here’s wishing that our biggest, boldest, most colorful dreams come true!
Let’s stay in touch! Learn more
The daisies in ‘Dream Field’ represent our dreams, some dreams bigger than others, some growing and developing, others on the decline, and all of them dancing around through the turbulence and beauty that we call life.
Here’s wishing that our biggest, boldest dreams come true!
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!!!
‘Safe’
24″ x 18″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart
Purchase Info
Looking at ‘Safe’ (above), you can see two hands from two different people. Their right hands are coming together to protect their greatest treasure – a nest filled with eggs.
‘Safe’ is part of my Possibilities series of oil paintings. It is meant to carry a message of warmth and caring and safety.
To read more about the Possibilities series, click here – What’s up with all the nests?)
‘Safe’ was inspired by a sculpture of two right hands created by Auguste Rodin in 1908. Over the years I’ve made dozens of paintings and sketches inspired by Rodin, including ‘Two Left Hands‘, ‘The Kiss‘, and others (see more here).
Rodin’s hands are captivating for many of us. Stanford University’s leading hand surgeon (Dr. James Chang, Professor and Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) was inspired to create a fascinating art-science exhibit around them.
Purchase
Commission a custom painting similar to this
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Let’s be friends
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@hollyvanhart.com.
Paint solvents, thinners, and thickeners are often toxic. I don’t use any of these, except for turpentine to deep-clean my brushes (which I do outside).
Oil painting mediums (such as thickeners and thinners) tend to be an artist’s best friends. I had some favorite mediums that were toxic, but after some intense experimenting around, I found and fell in love with two that aren’t – walnut oil to thin the paints, and Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel as a thickener.
And I try my best not to eat the paints 🙂
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions
Want to know what’s going on in my studio? Friend me on Facebook and see something new every day!
Serenity
20 x 20″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Buy a print
View video of this painting being created
Every painting tells a story. When we look at a painting, we absorb and interpret the story in our own unique way.
My abstract nature paintings are about the beauty and peace of nature.
This painting, ‘Serenity’, shows 3 robin’s eggs, resting serenely in their nest. The strong reds in the nest, branches, leaves, and buds represent the fullness of life outside the nest. The lives of the 3 siblings in this nest are full of possibilities. When the eggs hatch into birds, they will experience all that life has to offer outside the nest.
That’s my story for ‘Serenity’. What’s yours? (Email me at holly@hollyvanhart.com)
To see a video of this painting being created, click here.
For more “What inspired this painting” articles, click here.
Originally published in 2013, and just updated
‘Autumn Dance’ ‘Summer Sparkle’ and ‘Amid the Scent of Roses’
Currently hanging my my home, but could be hanging in yours 🙂
Want to see more pics of installed paintings? Click here.
New!
Some earlier experiments with watercolor techniques (using acrylic paints) have led me to paint a whole new series of abstract landscapes. ‘Sense of Marvel’ is one of the latest paintings in this series.
I’m always pushing myself to paint more abstractly. When you look at this painting, what do you see? Please lmk! (holly@hollyvanhart.com) I’ve heard many interpretations and don’t want to spoil your fun by listing them here.
Would you like to see this painting in person?
To purchase, email holly@hollyvanhart.com. Free shipping in the US.
With this new tree painting, Mirror World, I wanted a feeling of mystery.
The trees in the distance have curiously different colors from the nearer trees. What’s going on there? Let’s take a stroll down this path and see for ourselves!
With every painting, I have an objective for the mood and look of the painting, and a separate artistic objective.
The artistic objective is typically a challenge to myself using new colors or style or different size brushes or canvas.
Here, I challenged myself to paint more loosely, using bigger brushes and with less defined edges. Can you see the difference compared to my other tree paintings? Please drop me a line at holly@hollyvanhart.com.
Would you like to see all available paintings? Click here to request a digital catalog.
