Forest and Tree Paintings by Holly Van Hart

INSPIRATIONS FOR THESE FOREST and TREE LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS

Trees and forests can be magical, beautiful and mysterious. For the last 3 years, they have captivated me and inspired hundreds of landscape paintings.

In my work, you’ll see realistically painted trees juxtaposed against abstract blocks of color representing the sky, clouds, leaves, fields, flowers, and shadows.

Birch, aspen, maple, oak, redwood, pine – each species is fascinating in its own way.

Seasons bring changes in colors, lighting and shadows. Time of day matters. Weather too. When combined with sunlit fields and set against valleys, mountains and skies, the possibilities are endless.

WORK-IN-PROGRESS PICS and VIDEOS

Scroll down and you’ll find the inspirations behind these forest landscape paintings. You’ll see completed art, studio pics, and videos depicting paintings being made.

You’ll also see pics of these fine art paintings hanging in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, entryways and more. Enjoy!

Washed in Light

Have you ever strolled through a forest and felt strong sunlight beaming through the trees? That’s what I was aiming for with this new painting, Washed in Light. It is set in springtime, with lots of bright yellow-green leaves. Come take a walk with me down the winding path!

Here are some in-progress pics for this painting –

Drumroll please. Here’s the finished painting –

And here’s how it would look hanging in a living room –

Washed in Light
Mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
(Installed)

To purchase, please email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.

Want to be the 1st to see pre-release paintings? Click here to become a VIP member.

In love with aspens – Abstracted forest painting by Holly Van Hart (new release)

Do you love aspen trees as much as I do?

These days, I’m happily immersed in autumnal aspen forests. There’s something about these trees that seems to be universally appealing. For one thing, they are so gorgeous.

Aspens and birches look very similar to each other. If you’re curious what the differences are, 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?

Here’s the completed painting, shown from two different angles –

This painting is hanging in my living room, but it could hanging be in yours 🙂

Would you like to see this painting in person?

To purchase, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.  Free shipping in the US for VIP members.

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The Stories They Tell

Did you know that aspen colonies can be thousands of years old? In fact, one of the world’s oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens. It’s in Utah and it is 80,000 years old.

Is aspens could talk, could you imagine the stories they would tell?!

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Why do we love birch trees so much?

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″) –

Abstract Birch |Aspen painting by Holly Van Hart, detail

Abstract Birch |Aspen painting by Holly Van Hart, detail

Abstract Birch |Aspen painting by Holly Van Hart, detail

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 –

And here’s the completed painting hanging on my living room wall (left) –

Abstract-Nature-Paintings | Autumn Dreams | SummerSparkle-AmidTheScentofRoses-by-HollyVanHart | Installed paintings | Living Room

‘Autumn Dance’ ‘Summer Sparkle’ and ‘Amid the Scent of Roses’

 

This painting is sold. To see all available paintings, click here.

Purchase details

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Abstract forest painting, ‘Every Restless Night’

Hi there! Thanks for being here to check out my new work.  Here’s the latest!

This painting has gotten great feedback & has been featured on the cover of Denver Life magazine.

Denver Life October 2019 - painting by Holly Van Hart over fireplace

Every Restless Night, 48×48″ painting by Holly Van Hart
Featured on the cover of Denver Life Magazine

Questions? Interested? Please contact Steve Sonnen of Mirada Fine Art gallelry, (303) 697-9006, info@miradafineart.com or holly.vanhart@gmail.com

Sweet Escape

We all need to escape sometimes!

Running Free

Do you ever feel like leaving all your obligations and routines behind (at least for an hour or two, or a week or two)? Do you feel like running free?

I’d like viewers to look at this painting and get that exact feeling. To get lost in the forest and the light, and to feel completely unencumbered.

Ready?

 

If you’d like to see some in-progress pics of this painting, here you go –






 

 

Running Free is sold, but you can <a href=”https:///available-paintings/#forest-paintings” target=”_blank”>see available forest paintings here</a>.

 

Want to be the first to see new paintings as they are released? Become a VIP! Click for details.

Leaves and Spiders!

This painting is sold, but you can see the latest available paintings here.

 

To see more pics and articles on ‘What Inspired This Painting?’, click here.

‘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!)

Birch Trees in the Fall

Abstract nature painting by Silicon Valley artist Holly Van Hart, featuring birch trees in autumn with red and gold leaves

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

Secrets Within

Here’s one of my latest abstracted forest paintings . . .

 

Secrets Within is currently available. Would you like to see more? Please email holly.vanhart@gmail.com to inquire about delivery (free in the continental US) or to arrange a studio visit.

New Tree Painting – Standing tall

Trees can have a commanding presence, especially when they are tall. Do you love being surrounded by towering forest? I do!

I aimed to capture that feeling here with my new tree painting, Standing Tall –

Here are some in-progress pics for this painting –

Here’s the finished painting –

Want to be the 1st to see pre-release paintings? Click here to become a VIP member.

What’s the meaning of this painting?

I am inspired by life’s limitless possibilities, and my abstract nature paintings are meant to spark new excitement about reaching our biggest, boldest dreams.

This latest painting ‘Forest Reverie’ represents the beginning of a new year or a new season. Colorful opportunities sparkle all around us, and beckon us to reach them. Will we pick the closest, easiest one, or will we stretch further to find our passion?

Let’s stay in touch!  Learn more

This blog post is the latest addition to my ‘Top 50 Questions’ list.  See/read more here.

Embracing the Light

Here’s my latest abstracted forest painting –

Abstract landscape painting | forest trees land sky | green blue yellow brown red | painting by Holly Van Hart | Best of Houzz | Architect of Peace

Embracing the Light
48 x 60″ mixed media painting on canvas by Holly Van Hart
$7,500

This pic shows Embracing the Light installed (center) –

Abstracted forest paintings by Holly Van Hart
Woodland Symphony, Embracing the Light, Autumn Dance, and The Stories They Tell

Please contact holly.vanhart@gmail.com or 650 646 5590 for availability and pricing. Your email or call is welcome any time.

Woodland Symphony

You know that sense of grandeur we get when surrounded by a beautiful forest? That’s what I was aiming to capture with this painting, Woodland Symphony.

When giving this painting its name, the word ‘symphony’ came to mind. In a great symphony, all the musical notes work together in intriguingly complex and beautiful ways. In a painting, the color notes have to work together in similarly intriguing ways.

btw, if you’re curious, here are some in-progress pics of Woodland Symphony –

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The beginnings of Woodland Symphony

Holly Van Hart | abstract nature painting | studio | forests trees birch aspen

Working on Woodland Symphony (almost as tall as I am)

Sometimes it’s better to work on a painting sideways

Woodland Symphony (left), Wandering in Wonder (center) and The Grand Escape (right), mixed media paintings by HVH. These paintings are currently hanging in my living room, but they could be hanging in yours 🙂

Thanks for stopping by. If you’d like to see more abstracted forest paintings, click here.

For purchase info, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.

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

Starting a new forest drip painting. After failing at a bunch of earlier drip paintings Im determined to approach this differently | Holly Van Hart

One cool way to make a perfect, imperfect painting is to rely on lots of drips. That’s what I’ll do here.

Forest landscape painting in progress | Holly Van Hart

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.

Detail - A Deep Breath - Mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart - 48 x 48

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 . . .

Abstract landscape forest painting by Holly Van Hart | A Deep Breath48 x 48 mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart$6500 | Brown white blue

A Deep Breath
48 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
$6500

Installed painting - Landscape forest - A Deep Breath - Mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart - 48 x 48 INSTALLED (Custom)

‘A Deep Breath’ is hanging in my entryway.
It could be hanging in yours!
Purchase info here
To purchase, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com

To see all newly released paintings, click here.

For more paintings & inspirational quotes, click here.

Birch Trees in the Fall – ‘Autumn Reds’

'Autumn Reds', Oil painting by Holly Van Hart

Autumn Reds
30 x 24″ oil painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
Buy a print
Commission a forest painting

The other day, a friend asked why I had started painting birch trees. One reason is that they are so darn gorgeous!!  (I get reminded of this just about every day, because we have a lot of birch trees here in Saratoga.)

Birch tree trunks are highly textured and have a wide range of values, from white to very very dark in the shadows. And the leaves, in an autumn setting, offer a huge range of warm colors to work with – reds, oranges, yellows, golds.  An artist’s dream!

 

Click here for more forest paintings.

In Our Own Dream World

Come along for a walk into my dream world . . .

 

In Our Own Dream World is currently available. Free delivery in the continental US.

Would you like to see more? Please email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.

More info here –
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Paradise Found

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.

The Sun’s Warmth – New abstracted forest painting

Like a cat, I love feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. Do you?

Come step into this sun-soaked forest . . .

This painting is hanging in my home, but it could be hanging in yours 🙂

Would you like to see this painting in person?  Email me for a studio visit.

To purchase, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.  Free shipping in the continental US.

Purchase details

Try Before Your Buy program

 

To see all available paintings, click here.

Mirada Fine Art Gallery (ongoing)

If you’re in the Denver area, please come see my latest paintings at Mirada Fine Art gallery.

I’m proud to be working with this prestigious gallery. It has been selected for many awards, including American Art Awards “Top 25 US Galleries”.

Click for details.

Directions & Hours

 

abstract tree paintings by Holly Van Hart showing at Mirada Fine Art in Colorado

Vibrations in Time (on wall, right)
Mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart
At Mirada Fine Art

Ideas Everywhere!

Many many layers (and weeks) later, here is the finished painting . . .

So you can see the details, here’s a ‘flyover’ of Ideas Everywhere –

And here is how Ideas Everywhere looks in my home –

Abstract forest landscape painting by Holly Van Hart - Ideas Everywhere - installed

‘Ideas Everywhere’
This painting is sold. To see available paintings, click here.

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Reminiscence – Abstract landscape painting by Holly Van Hart

In Reminiscence, I blended two of my favorite subjects – forests and mountain landscapes – onto one large canvas (5 feet across). This is the first painting of this type.

In my travels to over 40 countries, I’ve seen lots of amazing scenery, and this painting was inspired by an amalgamation of vistas observed in these far-off places.

When you look at Reminiscence, do you feel the crisp air? I’d like to invite you to linger and appreciate the beauty of the distant mountains, the ripples on the water, and the light on the trees.

Are you free later today? Want to head off into this vista with me?

For more landscape paintings, click here.

For more forest paintings, click here.

 

Would you like to see this painting in person?  Email me for a studio visit.

To purchase, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.  Free shipping in the continental US.

Purchase details
Try Before Your Buy program

To see all available paintings, click here.

Circling of the Seasons

Hi there! Here’s one of my latest forest paintings (and the first one completed in a square format) . . .

Circling of the Seasons
48 x 48″ mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart (sold)
For available forest paintings, click here

Want to see how this painting was made? Here are some pics . . .

And, in video . . .

For more info, check these out –
* Try before you buy program
* Come for a studio visit
* Info on purchasing

To purchase, email holly.vanhart@gmail.com.

Want to see more in-progress paintings? Check out these videos http://hollyvanhart.com/youtube-videos

Thanks for being here!

Woodscent – New forest 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

 

Aspen painting – A Hundred Yellow Ribbons

A playful and celebratory painting . . . aspens draped with dreamy turquoise and yellow gold ribbons.

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

 

Relaxing in the Pause – New abstract forest painting

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 –

forest trees field sunlight - mixed media painting by Holly Van Hart - Relaxing in the Pause - 31 x 50 x 1.5 (Custom)

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).

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