Following Your Fascinations 30 x 40″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart
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’ –
Following Your Fascinations 30 x 40″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (detail, lower right) Lots of texture in this painting!
Following Your Fascinations Oil painting by Holly Van Hart (detail, middle left) Here you can see the red underpainting peeking through near the horizon
Following Your Fascinations Oil painting by Holly Van Hart (detail, lower left) Here you can see the signature etched into the thick oil paint
Following Your Fascinations Oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
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!
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 –
Birch are famous for having bark that peels back like paper; aspen bark does not peel.
Birch trees grow in the eastern US and Canada, while Aspens are found all over North America, Europe and Russia.
And, amazingly . . . each ‘colony’ of aspen trees actually shares a single large root system. The root system can be huge, covering multiple acres, and can be thousands of years old. As old trees die off, the root system sends up new trunks. Incredible!How about you . . . what are your favorite trees?
btw, here’s the completed painting –
Autumn Dance 48 x 36″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Autumn Dance 48 x 36″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
And here’s the completed painting hanging on my living room wall (left) –
‘Autumn Dance’ ‘Summer Sparkle’ and ‘Amid the Scent of Roses’
Every Restless Night 48 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
Here’s an interesting question for you . . . ‘What advice would you give to your younger self?’
If you feel like sharing your answer, please drop me a note at holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
After giving lots of thought to this question, and tossing aside a few false starts, I found my answer . . . ‘To be successful in your career, you need to work smart, work hard, and add a healthy dose of self promotion.’ In the past I was pretty good at the 1st two (working hard and smart), and totally oblivious to the self-promotion part.
I’m starting to get better at it now (if I didn’t, no one would know my art existed!), but still have plenty to learn.
Do you have any tips? I’m all ears!
Holly
P.S. Speaking about self-promotion, the painting shown above is named ‘Every Restless Night’. It is sold, but available paintings can be seen online here. Free delivery for VIP members. Free local installation and hanging in the Silicon Valley area. If you’re interested, please email me at holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
Meet “Possiblities Alight”. This painting features a bird’s nest resting in the middle of brilliantly lit branches and flowers.
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.
Interested? For purchase info, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.
Whispered Peace 54 x 54″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart (Three 54 x 18″ canvases, installed) $7500 Story behind the painting
Whispered Peace 54 x 54″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart (Three 54 x 18″ canvases, Installed)
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 🙂
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 –
As a sales exec in the electronics industry, Diane aimed to retire by the age of 45 and succeeded.
Last year, Diane became a Mom of an amazingly adorable son.
She holds a Masters degree in Computer Education
While in college, Diane led a group of 50 teenagers on a bus tour across the US.
As a world traveler and adventurer, she has (in her words) “seen half the world, and still has half to go”.
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’.
Outside My Window 24 x 30 oil painting by Holly Van Hart
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.
Unlimited Possibilities Oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold) Buy a print
“Unlimited Possibilities” is all about the unlimited possibilities of the baby birds, not yet hatched, with their whole lives still ahead of them.
Parallels can be easily be made with our own lives and our children’s lives. No matter what age we might be now, the possibilities ahead really are unlimited. How exciting!
If you look closely, you can see underlying texture on this painting is oval shaped; this is meant harmonize with the shape of the eggs themselves.
The texture adds complexity to the painting, and symbolizes the complexity of nature and our lives. We may have unlimited possibilities in our lives, but it’s not always easy to take advantage of them.
Unlimited Possibilities Side view 20″ x 20″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart
Have you ever taken a hiatus from something you really love?u
Bicycling is something that gives me great joy. I love the thrill of the hills (up and down), the views, the smells, and even the tired muscles. For some inexplicable reason, I let my bike sit idle for the last couple of years.
Have you ever taken a pause like that? Why do we do that?
Just last month, I started cycling again, huffing and puffing, and slowly getting my groove back. It feels great!!
Over the years, I’ve taken week-long biking vacations in some beautiful places including the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the San Juan Islands in Washington, and the Norwegian fjords. The latter two have inspired abstract landscape paintings such as this one . . .
Magnetic Dreams, 48 x 60″ mixed media painting by HVH,
shown hanging in my home.
Magnetic Dreams (detail of the sky)
Magnetic Dreams (detail of the mountains and water)
To read the story behind the painting, click here –
Vast Worlds Unfolding 60 x 72″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart $9900
Vast Worlds Unfolding 60 x 72″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart $9900 Installed in the artist’s home
Vast worlds tumbled around in my head, unfolded through my arm and paintbrush, mixed with gorgeous blue and gray hues on my palette, and landed as an abstract painting on this large 6 foot x 5 foot canvas. Now known as “Vast World’s Unfolding”, this painting is currently hanging in my home, but it could be hanging in yours 🙂
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
Magnetic Dreams 48 x 60″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
With Magnetic Dreams, I was aiming for a moody painting. The scene is imagined, drawn from a love of the ocean and memories of many captivating ferry rides.
The calm of the quiet mountains is juxtaposed with the energy of the watercolor techniques and drips. (This is a mixed media painting on canvas, using acrylic paints, but painted with watercolor techniques.)
Here are some detail pics –
Magnetic Dreams, detail of painting by Holly Van Hart (upper left)
Magnetic Dreams, detail of painting by Holly Van Hart (lower middle)
Magnetic Dreams, detail of painting by Holly Van Hart (lower right)
Nestled is about the warm feelings of being nestled close to our loved ones. The variety of the twigs and branches in the nest symbolize the variety of personalities and habits and desires we have within our own families. They are all intertwined.
When you click on the image to get a larger view, you can see some of the texture that underlies this painting. This is meant to convey the complexity and nuances of the interactions in our families, oftentimes unseen to the outside world.
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.
Palm Winds 30″ x 40″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Welcome to the tropics!
As you view “Palm Winds”, can you feel the warm wind on your skin? This painting is meant to instill a feeling of peacefulness from the beauty of the trees, sea, and sky. The empty picnic tables are inviting you to sit down and have a meal. It is a hot day, and the wind is offsetting the tropical heat.
The inspiration for this painting draws on my travels to Tahiti, Thailand, Costa Rica and other places of tropical awesomeness. In addition, it was inspired by an amazing photo taken by my friend Veronique Gillard. (Thank you Veronique!)
Palm Winds Side view 30″ x 40″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart
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.
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!
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.
Today I was just awarded a prestigious art achievement award from the National Association of Pen Women. Feeling so very honored!!
At the Celebrity Luncheon for the National League of American Pen Women, about to receive the arts achievement award. (Thanks to Patricia Dennis for the photo.)
Here’s the story of the inspiration and making of a new tree painting named Summer Sparkle –
Erik (our younger son) gave me a tour of the lush New York forest. He drove my Dad’s ATV. I sat behind him and snapped photos.
One of the 100+ photos I took while on the ATV that afternoon.
In keeping with my theme of limitless possibilities, I’m inspired by subjects that reveal life and growth and abundance. In this case, lush green trees were everywhere. I also like the sense of motion in this pic.
Back in the studio . . . the start of a new forest painting, ‘Summer Sparkle’
In progress pic of ‘Summer Sparkle’ (detail)
Completed painting – Summer Sparkle 48 x 36″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart
Above All Things 48 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Above All Things 48 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
To live life to the fullest, we’re often told to give the highest value to our relationships. And that things like fancy cars, clothes, homes, TVs, phones, etc give us only very fleeting pleasure.
Do you find this to be true for yourself?
I do, for the most part. Spending time with family and friends is my absolute favorite thing in the world. Hands down. Without question. I value these relationships above all things. (Hence the name of the painting.)
Don’t get me wrong . . . many things give me lasting pleasure too. Mostly visual things. I still love the shape of the wedding ring we picked out over 15 years ago. And the windows in our home that let in lots of light. And some pieces of our furniture. My husband’s garden. The list is very long.
What’s your experience? What do you value ‘above all things’?
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.
In “Top Fifty Questions”, I answer the questions I’m most frequently asked as an artist (usually asked at parties and other fun events). For the answers, click on the links. Enjoy!
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.