Do your children like art? (Video)
For more videos, check out http://hollyvanhart.com/YouTube-Videos
What’s your work-day like?
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In Our Own Dream World
48 x 60″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$7500
Story behind the painting
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I’ll answer the questions I’m most frequently asked as an artist (usually at cocktail parties and other fun social events).
What’s your work-day like as an artist?
Some of you have been curious about my work-day as an artist. Believe it or not, I’m working more hours per week now than I did in high tech. (I left a fun and fulfilling career in high tech for an even ‘funner’ career as a full-time artist.)
I have a home studio, and am in the studio painting every day from 8 am til 3 or 4pm. Every day. (Well, every weekday, and sometimes on the weekends.)
Chuck Close, a famous American painter, offers a great perspective on this. “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.”
I buy into that. Through the process of painting every day, I challenge myself to create my very best work. And to keep learning and experimenting.
An artist’s job is not done when the art is created. Part of the role is running your own art business, with your website, blog, marketing, galleries, exhibits, etc.
I try to dedicate my daytime to painting, and take care of the business stuff in the evenings. (When my sons are doing their homework, I’m doing mine!) This takes many hours, on most days. Having come from a long business career, I like this part of the job too.
Birch Trees in the Fall
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
‘Embracing the Light’ is paired with a custom cocktail
Embracing the Light
48 x 60″ mixed media painting on canvas by Holly Van Hart
Sold
For a holiday party, I paired paintings with custom cocktails. ‘Embracing the Light’ (above) was paired with a cocktail I named ‘Red Smash’.
Here’s the recipe –
2 ounces London dry gin
1 ounce cranberry juice
1 ounce Rose’s lime juice
Whole fresh cranberries, for garnish
It was a big hit!!
Why Red Smash is paired with Embracing the Light
In keeping with the Dutch theme for our party . . . gin was first made in Holland and is known as ‘Dutch courage’.
The gin in this drink uses juniper berries as its primary ingredient. ‘Embracing the Light’ is primarily dark green, like juniper.
Gin uses ‘botanicals’ to give it its complex flavor. In addition to juniper, Boodles British Gin includes hints of coriander seed, angelica root, angelica seed, cassia bark, nutmeg, rosemary and sage. The painting ‘Embracing the Light’ uses an equally wide range of colors to give it its complexity; in fact it uses all the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) and many variations.
Enjoy! (The cocktail and the painting!)
Larger than Life!
Celebration/Larger Than Life
54 x 72″ Oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Buy a print
The larger-than-life sized nest and eggs in ‘Celebration’ are meant to represent the potential of the human spirit, nestled in nature’s bed. Read more here, “What’s up with all the nests?”
There’s also a personal story behind ‘Celebration’ . . .
Birds will build their nests with whatever materials are available to them. One spring when I was a girl, my mother sprinkled snippets of red yarn in the yard near our summer home. She then encouraged us to see what happened next. Sure enough, a bird built a nest using the beautiful red yarn. (Sure wish I had a photo of that now!)
In ‘Celebration’ the birds have built their nest with twigs and ribbons. To me, ribbons have a celebratory feel, hence the title of the painting.
This painting was created in phases over many months. It leverages what I learned about painting nests and eggs from the other Possibilities paintings, as well as reference photos for the ribbons.
Are you in the mood to celebrate?
Follow Holly’s latest art news, exhibits, and special offers (and get a free eBook)
New! Petite Treasures
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.
Click to see all available Petite Treasures
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Magical Mystery Tour
9 x 12″ watercolor painting on paper by Holly Van Hart
$350
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Curious Poses
9 x 12″ watercolor painting on paper by Holly Van Hart
$350
Treat yourself or a loved one! Click to see all available Petite Treasures.
Additional info here – Purchase / Guarantee / Gift Certificates, Petite Treasures, Try Before You Buy, Studio Visit
[Top 50 Questions] How are you preparing for your museum exhibition?
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Opportunity
30 x 40 oil painting by Holly Van Hart
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!)
What gives you the most joy?
Your Highest Potential
30 x 40″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart
$3,200
To purchase, contact Pam Regan at Bluestone Fine Art Gallery
or email holly.vanhart@gmail.com
Joy, delight, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture.
We want it all!
How do you like to create joy in your life?
If your world is anything like mine, sometimes the days are so busy that it takes conscious thought to make time for life’s most delightful moments.
For me, in any one week I’m abundantly happy when I’ve enjoyed all of these experiences –
- time connecting with my 3 men (husband and 2 sons), other family, and friends
- lots of laughter
- absorbing nature and getting some exercise with hikes and bike rides
- contributing to an important cause, usually with a focus on children, women, or art
- feeling that I’ve advanced in life in some meaningful way (relationships, health, career)
- painting, of course!
- remembering to be full of thanks, wonder and awe for all of the above
What makes you happy?
If you have any tips for creating more bliss in life, please drop me a line at holly.vanhart@gmail.com, I’m all ears.
Top questions I’m asked as an artist –
How do you know when a painting is done?
How much time does it take to complete a painting?
Abstract landscape painting – Sky Song
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Sky Song
30 x 40″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart
Sky Song is my latest abstract landscape painting. It’s full of heavily textured oil paints, which have a gorgeous sheen.
The distant mountains are gray and pink and purple and blue, and have an air of mystery.
The sky is alive with light. It’s singing a song. Can you hear it?
Here’s a flyover of ‘Sky Song’, so you can see the buttery texture of the oil paint –
To purchase, please email holly.vanhart@gmail.com. Purchase details
If you live in Silicon Valley, delivery and installation are free. If you don’t, shipping is free!
Would you like to see this painting in person?
Abstract landscape – Sense of Marvel
New!
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Sense of Marvel
36 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$4800
Story behind the painting
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.vanhart@gmail.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.vanhart@gmail.com. Free shipping in the US.
Aspen painting – A Hundred Yellow Ribbons
A playful and celebratory painting . . . aspens draped with dreamy turquoise and yellow gold ribbons.
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A Hundred Yellow Ribbons
48 x 60″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$7500
Don’t be shy. Email me with questions or for purchase info, holly.vanhart@gmail.com. Shipping is free for VIP members.
If you’d like to see more abstracted forest paintings, click here.
Related info –
Available paintings
Commissions
Studio visit
Purchase details
Try Before You Buy program
Latest art news: Shhhhh . . . it’s a secret
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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Paradise Found
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Paradise Found
40 x 30″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$3800
Here’s a video on the making of Paradise Found –
Questions? Interested in hanging this painting in your home? Contact holly.vanhart@gmail.com. Click here for purchase info.
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!
Can I see your studio? (Video tour + invitation)
Yes! Here’s a video tour video. (Also, you are invited to visit in person. Click for details.)
It’s actually, 3 short video tours – a partial tour of my home gallery, a tour of the (cleaned up) studio where I paint, and a tour of the (messy) studio a few days before the event.
Want to check it out in person? My studio is located in Saratoga, CA. Please call or email me (650 646 5590, holly.vanhart@gmail.com) to make an appointment. Click for details.
Do Tortured Souls Create Better Art?
Some people think that depressed or angry people create better art. Is that true?
Or, can happy people create masterpieces too?
There are no simple answers to these questions of course, but just for fun let’s look at a sample of the world’s greatest artists (my personal faves) and explore the question. Here goes . . .
“The New Novel”, Winslow Homer, 1877
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was considered the greatest American painter of his time. He created extraordinary landscapes, marine paintings, and figures too. Homer was a recluse and a bit odd, but not depressed, enraged or insane. That’s one point for ‘satisfied souls’.
“Goat Horn with Red”, Georgia O’Keeffe, 1945
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) revolutionized American modern art with bold abstracts, landscapes and flowers. For decades she lived by herself in New Mexico, and sometimes suffered from serious depression. One point for ‘tortured souls’.
“No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue)”, Mark Rothko, 1954
Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was a Russian-Jewish abstract painter who emigrated to the US at the age of 10. He achieved huge commercial success during his lifetime. Rothko was most certainly depressed, drank heavily, took barbiturates, and sadly, at age 66, committed suicide. Add a second point for ‘tortured’.
“Norham Castle – Sunrise”, JMW Turner, c 1835
JMW Turner (1775-1851) was a renowned English landscape painter known as “the painter of light”. Turner seemed like a fairly normal guy. He had plenty of friends, and wasn’t depressed, enraged, or insane. Now it’s even, two points for ‘tortured’ and two points for ‘satisfied’.
“La Grande Vallee XIII”, Joan Mitchell, 1983
Joan Mitchell (1925 -1992) was a prominent Abstract Expressionist who lived in Chicago, Manhattan, and Paris. Mitchell was an alcoholic, often depressed, and described many of her paintings as “violent and angry”. ‘Tortured souls’ lead at 3 points to 2.
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Dance of Chances
31 x 50″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$4500
This last painting, very humbly put after the ‘greats’ above it, is mine. As for me, am I enraged or depressed or feeling like a tortured soul? No, not especially, but on any given day I may be any of those things. (Just ask my husband and children.) Is my art better on those days? No, but I think it is more experimental, sometimes to better effect but not always.
Summing up this totally non-scientific survey . . . The ‘tortured souls’ are ahead at 3 points (Rothko, O’Keeffe, Mitchell) to 2 (Turner, Homer). Perhaps the conclusion is ‘you don’t have to be unhappy to create great art, but it helps’.
What do you think? Do tortured souls create more expressive art? Leave a comment on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hollyvanhart or Email me with your thoughts – holly.vanhart@gmail.com
Related links:
Abundant Possibilities
Abundance
30 x 40″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Buy a print
Abundance is part of my Possibilities series that includes nests and eggs as the subject. This painting signifies the abundant possibilities that are available to the little lives that are in this very full nest.
The calm of the surface of the eggs is offset by the variety of colors and complicated weaving of the nest. This contrast reflects the reality of our lives, which are often some combination of calm, colorful, and complicated.
Like most of my work, Abundance was built up using multiple layers of oil paints. The layers give a special glow to the eggs, and extra texture and depth to the nest.
This painting is sold, but you can buy a print here.
Originally published in 2013 and recently updated to include information on prints
Video by Holly Van Hart – How a painting is created
Many of you have been curious about the painting process, and how paintings are created. Watch this video to learn my take on this topic.
This is the first of a series of videos I’ll publish on how a painting is created. Enjoy!
New! A Deep Breath
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
Ideas Everywhere!
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- My studio wall. A friend told me it looked like trees. This is inspiring me to make a new, more abstracted painting!
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- Guess what . . The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art has an amazing show called Detritus. An image of my studio wall is included!
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- A close-up shot of my studio wall. This is giving me more ideas and inspiration for a new painting. I’m excited!
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- Continuing to look for ideas on my studio wall. I’m really digging these colors and abstract shapes.
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- The start of a painting inspired by my studio wall. The beginning is always so full of hope!
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- Starting to add some tree details. The trick is to not add too many! I want to push myself to paint more abstractly.
Many many layers (and weeks) later, here is the finished painting . . .
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Ideas Everywhere
30 x 60″ mixed media painting on canvas by Holly Van Hart (sold)
So you can see the details, here’s a ‘flyover’ of Ideas Everywhere –
And here is how Ideas Everywhere looks in my home –
‘Ideas Everywhere’
This painting is sold. To see available paintings, click here.
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Beckoning (new abstract floral painting)
Funny thing happened the other night. A friend came to dinner and it was the height of the gladiolus season. He looked at my husband’s garden –
and then at this painting hanging on our living room wall –
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Beckoning
50 x 31″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$4500
Story behind the painting (with pics from our garden)
He pointed to one, and then the other, and asked the question . . . which came first, the flowers or the painting?
Oddly enough, the flowers came from my imagination about 6 months before my husband grew his first gladiolus flowers. But his garden is spectacular and will inspire many more paintings to come!
‘Beckoning’ is currently hanging in our home. If you’d like to hang it in yours, please email me at holly.vanhart@gmail.com or call 650 646 5590.
To see all available paintings, click here.
High quality prints are available here (on canvas, paper, metal, framed, unframed, and so much more).
Treat yourself! 🙂
What does ‘vulnerability’ mean to you?
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The Boundary of Spring
48 x 36″ oil painting on canvas by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Story behind the painting (with in progress pics)
What does ‘vulnerability’ mean to you? Does hearing that word make you squirm and feel uncomfortable? It does that to me!
To put it all out there, my most vulnerable moments are when . . .
* I express love or appreciation to someone, and am not sure whether the feeling is returned
* My art is being exhibited and I’m in a room full of people seeing it for the first time
* I send an image of a new painting to all the people on my VIP email list
* Someone unsubscribes to my email list (ouch!)
* I post a new painting or article (like this one) on this blog
* My work is not accepted into a competition or exhibition
* My sons (now ages 11 and 13) are facing disappointment, and I can’t just ‘fix it’ for them any more
Luckily, from my years in high tech, I had many opportunities to experience both acceptance and rejection. I know how to roll with rejection. Sometimes I might need a few moments or hours or days to catch my breath and recover, but then I do, and life goes on and I can keep making progress. Thank goodness. Without that, life as an artist would be impossible!
To see the rest of my top 50 questions, click here.
Have a question for me? Click here.
Let’s stay in touch! Become a VIP member. Learn more
Woodscent – New forest painting
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Woodscent
48 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$6500
Story behind the painting
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
Because of you
Friends,
Thank you! Because of you, my life is filled with warmth and friendship and color and fun. You inspire me! Don’t know what I’d do without you and your amazing support.
For a fun flashback, thought you might like to see a few photos from the installation of my 2014 solo show at the Triton Museum of Art . . .
With Preston Metcalf, Chief Curator at the Triton Museum of Art, on day of installation of my solo exhibition. Photo by my artist friend Marie Cameron.
Preston wrote an essay about my work. If you’re curious what it says, click here.
Oh, the glamorous life of an artist! With Bryan Callanta unloading 17 paintings from the Uhaul truck into the Triton Museum of Art. Photo by Marie Cameron.
Feeling gleeful after all paintings were unloaded and delivered unharmed to my favorite contemporary art museum 🙂 Photo by Marie Cameron.
Photos are compliments of Marie Cameron, a wonderful friend, artist and photographer. Thank you Marie!
Warmly,
Holly
Divulging the Secrets
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Divulging the Secrets
32 x 32″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
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!
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Divulging the Secrets
32 x 32″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
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.
A feeling of quiet and serenity
Morning Light
40″ x 30″ oil painting on canvas by Holly Van Hart (sold)
A few times a year my family spends the weekend at or near Lake Tahoe, CA. It’s a gorgeous place, with expansive views of the Sierras just about everywhere you look. And what makes it even more special is enjoying it with friends!
One Saturday morning, before everyone else was awake, I took a walk along the lake and snapped lots of photos. Back in my studio, I painted ‘Morning Light’. Morning is my favorite time of the day, and my aim was to convey a feeling of quiet and serenity.
Gallery Wrap side view of “Morning Light”
The gift of time
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Into the World of Light
48 x 60″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
To see available paintings, click here
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
This painting is sold, but you can view available paintings here.
Do you do custom paintings (commissions)? Video
Yes! I do custom paintings.
In fact, I just delivered a custom painting to a new collector, and this is what she had to say –
“You perfectly transformed my dream into a stunningly beautiful painting. I am deeply grateful.”
Wow, I feel so honored. That made my day (my week!). Thank you Sue!!!
I love creating custom paintings. Good thing, because I’m currently working on 6 of them, ranging in size from 16 inches wide up to 80″ wide. That’s wider than you are tall!
If you’d like to learn more about custom paintings, click here (http://hollyvanhart.com/commission-painting/) . (They make great gifts, and come with a 100% money back guarantee.) Or email me at holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
Whether you’re interested in commissioned paintings or not, thank you for your interest in my work.
— Holly
P.S. If you want more info, check out more testimonials and pics of paintings installed in collectors homes.
P.P.S. My custom paintings were awarded Best of Houzz. Check out the details here.
Yellow Passage
Yellow Passage
20″ x 16″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
“Yellow Passage” is meant to convey the majesty and mystery a large mountain range. The size and angular forms of the mountains indicate the majesty, and unusual red and yellow colors add intrigue.
This scene was inspired by my time in the Rocky Mountains a few years ago. I used a photograph as a very loose reference for the shapes of the mountains and the lake, and my imagination for the colors and texture.
This painting is sold and here’s how it looks in its new gorgeous home –
Yellow Passage, Oil painting by Holly Van Hart, installed
Thank you Susan and Steve for placing my artwork in your dining room. I’m honored! Love how you had it framed, and found just the right spot for it.
For more pics of paintings installed in collectors’ homes, click here.
How much time does it take to complete a painting? (Video)
How much time does it take to complete a painting?
For me, it takes 4-6 months from start to finish (elapsed time) to complete an oil painting. This is mostly because I paint in layers. Each painting has five to ten layers of paint, and each layer takes a week or so to dry.
Plus I need extra time at the end to reflect on the (almost) finished work and make any last improvements. Sometimes what seems like a minor improvement will make me soooo much happier with the end result.
The actual working time on any one painting is typically 60 – 120 hours. And sometimes more. It varies greatly by subject matter, size, and style. It also varies by how much I’m stretching myself into new territory; the more experimental, the longer it takes.
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions
New Book! Top Paintings paired with Favorite Inspirational Quotes.
Download here (free!)