‘Into the Light’
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Into the Light
24 x 30 oil painting by Holly Van Hart
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
[Top 50 Questions] Will this painting look good in my home?
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Autumn Dance,
Summer Sparkle,
and Amid the Scent of Roses
Mixed media paintings by Holly Van Hart
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I answer the top questions I’m asked as an artist. (These are usually asked at cocktail parties and other fun social events.)
Will this painting look good in my home? Great question. Here’s my take . . . if you fall in love with a painting, you can almost always find the right spot to hang it in your home. You may have to move another painting or a mirror or a print. But if you love the new painting, it’s worth the effort.
If you’re interested in one of the paintings here on my website, but are not sure if it will work in your living room, dining room, etc, please email me at holly.vanhart@gmail.com. If you live locally, I can take the painting (or a few paintings) to your home and we can try them out. If one works, great. If not, no worries.
To see related advice and ideas from interior design professionals, click here.
[Top 50 Questions] Do you use photo references?
Often I’ll start a painting by creating a realistic rendering of the subject. Once I’m pleased with the design and the how the subject looks, then I put away the photo references and the real fun begins! I crank up the music, get loose, use my imagination, and start introducing exciting not-found-in-nature colors and shapes and rhythms. This is where the ‘abstract’ of my ‘abstract nature paintings’ comes in.
Click here to see the rest of the Top 50 Questions
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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. Call me or email me with questions or for purchase info (408 309 5564, holly.vanhart@gmail.com). Shipping is free for VIP members.
If you’d like to see more abstracted forest paintings, click here.
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Available paintings
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Try Before You Buy program
Open Studio Event (ongoing)
Hello art lovers!
You’re invited to my (socially distanced) Open Studio solo exhibition. Please join me at my home gallery and studio in Saratoga, California for this ongoing exhibition.
Dates: By appointment Email holly.vanhart@gmail.com or call 408 309 5564 and let’s make a date. (The format is changed due to the pandemic. We will wear masks and stay socially distant.)
Location: 20830 Boyce Lane, Saratoga, CA 95070
Come visit and say hello! Enjoy browsing through my home gallery and studio. Bring your friends and family.
More than twenty new abstract nature paintings will be on display and for purchase – forests, fields, flowers, nests, landscapes and more. Smaller paintings, prints and notecards are also available for purchase.
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!
This exhibit is part of Silicon Valley Open Studios.
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.)
What’s up with all the nests? (Video)
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.
New landscape painting – Grazing the Light
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Grazing the Light
30 x 24″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart
$2500
Story behind the painting
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.vanhart@gmail.com. Free shipping in the US.
What’s your favorite color? (video)
For more videos, click here – http://hollyvanhart.com/YouTube-Videos