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Join me on a boat ride over a vast sea. We’ll be following our fascinations. We’re not sure where they may lead us, or how long we’ll be gone.
Sometimes the ocean will be smooth, and other times we’ll hit many waves. But it will always be worth the journey!
Here are some detail pics of ‘Following Your Fascinations’ –
If you’re browsing this website, you’ll see the ocean appear in many of my paintings. I absolutely love the water and the shoreline! I grew up in New York city, and lived in California for most of my adult life, so I’ve never been far from the coast. Lucky me!
This painting is sold, but you can view available paintings here.
For me, the answer is both yes and no. With a glass of wine or two, my mind sometimes opens up to new ideas.
But if I have a drink and then try to apply paint to canvas, mostly I make a big mess.
So, the trick is to harness the ideas without messing up any in-progress paintings!
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions
Have a question to add to the top 50? Email me at holly.vanhart@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.
Dreaming in Full Color
Oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Buy a print
When we’re young, most of us have big dreams for our lives. Have your dreams changed over time? Do you find that some doors have closed, but other (perhaps better) doors have opened?
Do you dream in full color?
My long-term dream of being a professional artist has come true, and my sons are turning into fine young men, but many of my other dreams have slipped away. Or maybe they just haven’t happened yet (like my dream of exercising consistently).
At the age of 15, my older son Skyler dreams of being a pediatrician, a software developer, or an ‘IT guy’. Erik, age 13, wants to be an architect or engineer or inventor like his Dad. At this age, all doors are open. Anything is possible! They are, as they should be, dreaming in full color. Isn’t that grand?
In this painting, ‘Dreaming in Full Color’, the flowers represent our dreams, shown in their full glory. The flowers are dancing around through the turbulence and beauty that we call life. Some dreams won’t survive this turbulence, but others will become bigger and stronger.
When it comes to your dreams, here’s wishing that your most color-full ones come true!
Your friend,
Holly
P.S. This post is based on one of the Top 50 Questions I’m asked as an artist (usually at cocktail parties and other fun events). To see the Top 50, click here.
Fail fast, fail often, fail forward . . . you may have heard these terms before. They mean that you have to fail many times before you succeed.
I prefer the more descriptive, happier-sounding ‘failing toward success’. If you’ve ever had the experience of painting (or any challenging creative endeavor), you’ll know that not every attempt yields success.
Even the most experienced artists create paintings that fail. Lots of them. That’s one way we learn, and it’s a natural part of the artistic process.
Recently I invested in a new digital system that will help me ‘fail toward success’ more quickly, and to create my very best work. Here it is . . .
New computer, monitor, painting tablet, and painting software – this set-up will help me ‘fail toward success’ more quickly
For now, I use this digital set-up to design paintings, and then use traditional canvas and oil paints to create the paintings. After 3 long months of slogging through user manuals and YouTube tutorials, I’m finally at a place where I can use digital tools to focus on creative design (vs fumbling around with the technology).
‘Your Highest Potential’ (above) is one of my paintings created with this new process. The name is a story in itself that I’ll share with you sometime.
In the future, using these new digital tools may morph me into a ‘mixed media’ artist. But for now I’m still in love with the beautiful, textured, buttery sheen of oil paints and don’t plan to give them up any time soon.
Bet you have have lots of experiences with ‘failing toward success’. What are your most memorable ones? Please email me at holly.vanhart@gmail.com. I’d love to hear about them.
On a different note . . . are you moving into a new home, remodeling, or just freshening up a room? Are you wondering how to jazz things up with splashes of color (artfully)? If so, you can get a Free Color Guide by clicking here – ‘The Top 7 Designer Secrets for Adding Color to Your Space‘.
Holly Van Hart Exhibit
– The Mercury News
“Beverly Hills, Taiwan next on local artist’s exhibit list”
Do you like to dream big?
I do! As a die-hard optimist, my art (and life) are inspired by the idea of limitless possibilities.
In ‘How Dreams Are Made’, the flowers represent the colorful opportunities in our lives . . . exciting and bountiful opportunities swirling all around us.
The visual inspiration came during a walk in Saratoga on a windy day. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught some gorgeous yellow flowers getting tossed around by the wind. A quick snap of the camera gave me a photo reference to work with.
Back in the studio, I quickly got to work. I wanted the painting to have a breezy look and lots of movement, like Field of Dreams.
This painting was fun, but it did not come easy! There were many points when I wondered whether it would succeed.
For some strange reason, a lot of my best work comes after those sinking moments of doubt. I think the uncertainty frees me up to make bold decisions.
Speaking of which . . . bold decisions are exactly what we need to chase big dreams. Let’s go for it!!
btw, you might also be interested in this article How do you know when a painting is done? One of the hardest decisions in making a painting is knowing when to stop!
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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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.
I was awarded an artist fellowship by The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists for 2017, and again in 2018, and am feeling very honored.
The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists is an acclaimed national nonprofit organization. It has chosen twenty artist fellows for its Business Accelerator Program, including me 🙂
The selected artists will participate in CHF’s innovative and comprehensive initiative, which seeks to transform the art industry by helping artists better manage their businesses.
While strolling in my neighborhood recently (in Saratoga, CA), I spotted a wooded field with sun streaming through the trees. The shadows and colors were captivating! I snapped some pics and excitedly ran back to my studio. Many moons later, this is what resulted –
Relaxing in the Pause
31 x 50″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$4500
We lead such hectic lives, and I wanted this painting to give us reason to slow down and ponder the fascinations of life. Hence the title, “Relaxing in the Pause”.
If you’re interested, please contact me (holly.vanhart@gmail.com, 650 646 5590). For VIP members, shipping is free in the continental US. To see this painting in person, you are welcome to come for a studio visit.
Click here for more available paintings (forests, flowers, and landscapes).
Meet “Posh”. In this swirl of shiny ribbons, three eggs are being incubated by parents who have a passion for lovely things.
We all share a passion for beauty. Some of us prefer the beauty of nature, others prefer human-made beauty. And many of us (like the birds that built this nest) seek a big dose of each!
What do school soccer and ‘Threshold of Miracles’ have in common?
Inspiration is everywhere!
The inspiration for this painting was a big bush of white roses planted at a local high school. The roses were brilliantly lit in the afternoon sun. I noticed them during the half-time break from my son’s soccer game, and couldn’t resist snapping a bunch of photos.
Using my computer, I tried a few combinations of photos until one stood out as the best design. Then I set to work in my studio with paints and brushes and lots of excitement!
This painting is called ‘Threshold of Miracles’. It symbolizes all the amazing things we can do with our lives (and the miracles we can create) when we keep our eyes open.
Wishing you lots of sunshine and miracles in your life!
For more videos, check out http://hollyvanhart.com/YouTube-Videos
Holly Van Hart (left) being interviewed by Heather Durham (right) for her Silicon Valley TV show, SVTAGS
I was honored to be interviewed by Heather Durham on her Silicon Valley TV show.
“On this show, Holly talks about her art, career change, and some amazing honors she has received since she has started this new career. We also get a peak at some of her work.” – Heather Durham, Executive Producer, SVTAGS (http://www.svtags.org/)
Watch the first 10 minutes of the 30 minute show here –
Let’s stay in touch! (And get some free goodies.) Click here to learn more
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
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”
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.
‘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.
Welcome to my world of Whispered Peace.
The aspen trees in this painting are surrounded by whisper-soft hues of gold, red, green and blue. All co-existing peacefully on three large canvases 🙂
For purchase info, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
More info here –
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If you’d like to see more abstracted forest paintings, click here.
Sometimes our dreams are so close we can almost touch them.
And sometimes we need to climb a ladder or a tree (or learn to fly) to reach our dreams. In any case, it’s worth the stretch!!! That was what I had in mind while painting the magnolia flowers and nest in ‘Outside My Window’.
Outside our windows at home, we’re lucky to have an assortment of oaks, redwoods, and other beautiful trees. No magnolias, although there are plenty in our neighborhood.
For purchase info, please email me at holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
** Be the 1st to see new paintings, fresh off the easel. Click to learn more. **
‘Opportunity’ is the latest member of the Possibilities series. When you look at this nest and eggs, can you see the limitless potential of the human spirit? I hope so. (Read more here, “What’s up with all the nests?“)
The colors of this painting are American colors and, to many of us, America (the US) is the land of opportunity. Personally I believe America is an amazing place where, with lots of passion and hard work, one’s possibilities are virtually unlimited.
‘Opportunity’ represents the sense of wonder, potential, and pride many of us feel for our country. Nothing is ever perfect, however; the underlying textures in this painting are meant to remind us of things unseen. We might live in the US and have many of its advantages, but success is not assured.
‘Opportunity’ was created in phases over many months. I started with a black and white reference photo of a real bird’s nest, and from there let my imagination and paintbrush wander (and wander and wander). Success was not assured.
Some paintings converge quickly and others take more time and iterations. The more a painting deviates from the reference photos, the longer it takes me to complete it. Imagination takes time, especially if the end result is supposed to look like something real but not really.
Opportunity was one of the 18 paintings in my solo show at the Triton Museum of Art. For a walking tour video & pics of the exhibition, click here.
Today I’d like to share a quote that captures the spirit of a new botanical painting.
“Enthusiasm is the electricity of life.” –Gordon Parks
What are you enthusiastic about today?
When making this painting, I was enthusiastic about the field of dancing flowers I originally saw in Canada.
The colors, shapes, and smells were riveting, and I made a little oil painting on the spot.
Then back in my studio, over a period of years, I continued to revisit this theme in a variety of sizes and media, each time stretching myself in some new way.
This painting is now hanging in our bedroom at home –
Another reason for me to be enthusiastic today is a new relationship with a beautiful art gallery outside of Denver, Colorado – Mirada Fine Art Gallery. So excited!!
Thanks for being here. Shine on, my beautiful and enthusiastic friend!
To see more available paintings, click here.
To see more paintings hanging in the homes of collectors, click here.
Can’t wait to get to work!
I wanted this painting to capture our attention with its warm autumn colors, and to tempt us to walk toward the light at the end of the path.
What’s down that path? There’s only one way to know. Come with me, let’s go for a stroll!
btw, on a topic related to color . . . are you moving into a new home, remodeling, or just freshening up a room? Are you wondering how to use color successfully in your home or office? If so, you can get a Free Color Guide by clicking here – ‘The Top 7 Designer Secrets for Adding Color to Your Space‘.
Let’s stay in touch! Learn more
Building the Future
24″ x 18″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
See available paintings here
‘Building the Future’ is about the choices we make for ourselves, and the excitement of preparing for a big life-change.
If the hands in this painting look at all familiar, it may be because they were inspired by Rodin’s sculpture ‘The Three Muses”. To see some of my earlier work inspired by Rodin, click here.
This is the first of a few paintings in my Possibilities series that were inspired by Rodin. Living in Silicon Valley, we’re close to Stanford University and its amazing Rodin Sculpture Garden. I love any excuse to get back there! Stay tuned for more . . .
(If you’re curious about the Possibilities series, you can read more here, “What’s up with all the eggs and nests?“)
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