Pictured from left are: Juno Szalay, vice regent of the Los Altos chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; award-winning artist Holly Van Hart; and Donna Santistevan, chapter regent.
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
Amid the Scent of Roses 30 x 24 oil painting by Holly Van Hart
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I’ll answer the top questions I’m asked as an artist. (These questions are usually asked at cocktail parties and other fun social events.)
Question #4 – How long have you been painting?
I’ve been painting my whole life, with one hiatus while in college.
As a girl I made many types of art . . . I painted, made ceramics and did crocheting and calligraphy. My Mom was an artist; she gave us lessons and let us use her top-quality art supplies. (Thanks Mom!)
In college, studying engineering was all consuming and my art was put on hold.
After graduating, I worked in high tech and pursued painting passionately as a hobby – taking dozens classes, reading thousands of books and articles, forming an art critique group, and painting every spare minute.
Now, as a professional artist, I paint every day, all day (every weekday + some weekends). And every day I learn something new.
My art education will never be done. That’s a huge part of the fun 🙂
btw, the above painting is Amid the Scent of Roses. Interested in seeing how it was made? Here’s a short video for you . . .
I’d like to introduce you to ‘Nest at Night’, the latest member of my Possibilities series.
‘Nest at Night’ is a more abstracted painting than most of the others in this series. I was inspired by –
* the idea (the virtually limitless possibilities we have in our lives if we choose to embrace them),
* the mood (mysterious), and
* the color (a very deep red).
As I was painting, I got absorbed (and even lost) in the reds. It took many layers of oil paint (and believe it or not, many different colors) to achieve the desired hue and depth. The dark reds and the sliver of a moon contribute to the mysterious feel of this work.
Do you like mystery in artwork? I’d love to know; please comment below.
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?
Slipping Between the Notes 36 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart $5800 To purchase, contact Iris Shih at X-Power Gallery, angeldeva@gpdeva.com
Here are some in-progress pics for this painting –
I started by putting a fresh canvas flat on a table. I used lots of drippy paints and tilted the canvas as needed to spread the colors. Then it was left overnight to dry.
Next I painted in the tree trunks, and added bigger blocks of sunny colors throughout.
I started defining the leaves more clearly (see the middle of the painting).
Close up view
Here’s the finished painting –
Slipping Between the Notes 36 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart $5800 To purchase, contact Iris Shih at X-Power Gallery, angeldeva@gpdeva.com
And here’s how it would look against a blue wall –
Slipping Between the Notes by Holly Van Hart Installed on a kitchen wall Would you like to hang this painting in your home? Contact Iris Shih at X-Power Gallery, angeldeva@gpdeva.com
Possibilities in Full Color 24″ x 30″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart $2500 Story behind the painting
Possibilities in Full Color is about the lives within these 3 eggs, still to be lived. They are meant to be ‘full color’ lives, filled with joy and delight and exciting challenges.
This painting is also about the homes (nests) of the baby birds and their parents. Do you see the reds, oranges, greens, blues, and yellows? This ‘full color’ nest represents the unique and wonderful personalities of all the individuals that live within it, as well as the wonderful variety of homes that birds build for themselves.
What do you see in “Possibilities in Full Color”? It’s always fascinating to learn how paintings are interpreted. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments (holly.vanhart@gmail.com).
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!
