Abstract Impressionist Landscape Paintings

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Artist Teresa Smith displays a picturesque impressionist landscape of Aspen groves. "Autumn is here," declares Teresa. The leaves slowly turn a crisp, bright yellow. The sunny fall day along the shoreline brings inspiration from its vivid colors.

About the Artist
Teresa Smith captures the soul of the west coast landscape in her contemplative oil paintings. Teresa gathers impressions of the land around her remote island home on horseback rides accompanied by her Irish wolfhound. Her works capture the light coming through the trees, a richness of color, and the interconnectedness of nature. Her subjects emerge through lyrical brushwork, sometimes with light streaming as if through a stained glass window. Her major influences are Georgia O’Keeffe, Emily Carr, and the Canadian Group of Seven, the latter of whom pioneered a distinctive style defined by a direct connection with nature. In addition to painting, Teresa is a master gardener, and she grows food year-round in her garden and volunteers in the community to educate and diagnose plant problems. She works from her studio on the top floor of a barn overlooking the pond and trees, where deer walk by and ducks swim. According to Teresa, "much of today’s art is based on concept. That is, the artist has an idea, then uses their art to educate and inform. I do contemplative painting, which is different. For me, it is allowing the painting to unfold in a contemplative or meditative way."

Words that describe this painting: landscape, Tom Thomson...

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On a solo hike, I passed through some beautiful aspen groves. It was early morning and the sunlight was filtering in behind. I noticed a lone, small pine grow...

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Artist Shuxing Fan displays a scene of a suburban neighborhood after a snowfall. Painting in classical realism, he details the envi...

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Spring mornings often begin with gray overcast skies that give way to bright blue sunshine mid day. This painting depicts Texas Hill Country as the sun begins...

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A misty dawn over a western prairie, the yellow grasses and dark foliage contrast suggesting a sunny day to come. Part of Nancy's si...

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Artist Karen E Lewis creates a view of the full moon, the morning after a lunar eclipse. She paints an ethereal sky with shades of pink and blue that set a co...

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"When surrounded by shoreline views most of your life, you take a closer look at the water, studying the lines, shadows, and cloud reflections enhanced by light," says artist Nancy Jadatz...

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As the sun slowly sinks behind the sea stacks, waves peacefully roll toward the shore. The sailboats on the horizon are illuminated in the twilight. "I painte...

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In his signature style, artist John Jaster paints this famous tree in Pebble Beach, California. Overlooking Carmel Bay, The Lone Cypress...

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"This painting was inspired by the dreamy vistas of the Monterey Bay in California," shares artist Lisa Elley. "Just as the morning light caressed the popular...

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Beautiful spring blossom in a rural area. Lilac and apple trees are highlighted under the light of the spring sun. I used thick ...

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A fall landscape at sunset, with golden clouds rushing across the expansive sky. "Northern New Mexico is known for mythical light, sculptural land forms and d...

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Artist James Hartman says this tranquil landscape was inspired by a stay at these cabins at the edge of Clear Lake in northern California. While there, he com...

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This painting is part of an ongoing series depicting the nature around Teresa Smith's home. Her main considerations as she works are color and shape. "I am p...

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Artist Onelio Marrero paints a magnificent scene of a flowing river stream. Part of his series exploring the terrain and geology of northwest New Jersey. He t...

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Inspired by a beautiful basin in northern New Mexico outside of Santa Fe. "A monsoonal storm passed through and left the ground wet," says artist Heather Fost...

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In her signature deep impasto style, artist Lisa Elley paints an emerald birch forest emerging in the sunshine. With marked palette knife work, she imparts ge...

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"This lake in southern New Mexico in wintertime has muted earthy colors," says artist Heather Foster. "There is a lot of strife with local ranchers surroundin...

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"This piece is inspired by the difficult traverse of a dramatic, jagged ridgeline," says artist Crystal DiPietro. A high vantage point offers an expansive view of veined mountains. The sun's rays glow golden on one side while cool shadows of purple fall between the deep crevices. "Despite its rugged appearance, the ridge seemed to have a harmonic rhythm."

About the Artist
Many artists work with the landscape, but Crystal DiPietro sees her works as different from most in the genre. "I tend not to see landscapes as soft and pretty, but as rugged, dramatic and colorful." Many of her works depict wild storms and moody sunsets. She spends a lot of time in remote spots and uses layers of color to create her compositions. Her work hovers between a brief impression of a scene and a pure dream. Crystal's landscapes of southern Utah seem to undulate and continuously change. What's interesting, though, is that these mountains and valleys seem to do the same thing in person. In these areas, the view changes constantly throughout the day as the light shifts, throwing shadows of faces, mazes and alien patterns across the cliff faces. Crystal impressively captures what's there, and what seems to be but isn't.

Words that describe this painting: ridge, ridgeline, mountains, desert, southwest, west, western, southwestern, viewpoint, impressionism, sunlight, shadow, oilpaint, landscape, impressionism, landscape, western, oil painting, yellow

The Brute...

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Artist Janet Dyer envisions a beautiful field of lavender with steps leading to a quaint home. "I like the way the lavender plant...

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I used my finger tips to apply many layers of translucent cool colors in oil and wax. There is a softly calm feeling to the quiet distance of the winter trees in the background while one sturdy pine comes forth. Hints of apricot and lavender glow from beneath misty layers. My choice in this color palette lends itself to any season's decor, inspired by Wolf Kahn. The edges of this piece are natural wood. This piece is wired to hang.

About the Artist
Valerie Berkely uses her finger tips as brushes to create her abstract paintings. For Valerie, the art is all about the process, the paint, her mood, and the moment. She admires the artist Wolf Kahn, who once said, “the picture is the conclusion of an experiment in which the hint of an image becomes actuality." Like Kahn, Valerie’s paintings combine pictorial landscapes with painterly abstraction. The vibrant primary colors capture the hues of the sun rising and setting, and the texture of her fingers across the surface divides sea, land, and sky. There is something very dreamy about these works, exemplified by their color, texture, and atmospheric quality. Valerie’s first “art epiphany” was seeing Seurat's La Grande Jatte at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Bowled me over! I actually fell down. And I knew I was to become a painter.”

Words that describe this painting: Impressionism, Wolf Kahn, transparent, translucent, layers, abstract landscape, oil, wax, finger painting, impressionism, landscape, representational, oil painting, purple

Trees In Winter...

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Artist Jesse Aldana composes an exciting sunset with golden peach rays stretching across a speckled blue sky and crashing waves. "In this painting, the sea an...

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"The sun is shining brightly, and its playful, beaming rays are bathing in the puddles along with the sparrows," says artist Tatiana Iliina. Strong and tall t...

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In the style of impressionism, artist Lisa Elley displays a classic vineyard with an alluring thick impasto texture. "In all things of nature there is somethi...

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Artist Janet Dyer displays a magnificent view of a French vineyard. Rows of grapevines ripen under the radiant summer sun. A longère, a lengthy narrow farmho...

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"This piece was inspired by an early morning hike through a lush meadow filled with summer flowers," says Crystal. "The sun was just starting to creep in over...

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Sunrise. Colored clouds recede into space, dominating this painting looking upriver. This painting is done in oil on stretched canvas. It is sealed with wax...

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Inspired by the lush vineyards of France in the fall, artist Lisa Elley paints an impression of the scene. Light caresses the quaint village during the breathtaking summer. The vineyard flourishes in the foreground, creating a dramatic and colorful effect. She achieves a rich, buttery texture through thick impasto application.

About the Artist
Working almost exclusively with a palette knife, Lisa Elley maneuvers her artistic blade with an uncanny fluidity. Why paint only with the knife? She says, "when I paint with a brush, which I do occasionally, I tend to focus on the detail. With a palette knife I can't focus on the detail too much, so my paintings are looser, and more gestural, with bigger sweeps and strokes." This technique is called wet-on-wet. And it seems to be quite popular, as she has been bestowed the title "Knife Queen" by her facebook fans. Fun fact: Lisa's high school art teacher told her to study harder at math, as a career in art was "impossible."

Words that describe this painting: fall, autumn, season, France, Provence, village, vineyard, grapevines, winery, Europe, travel, buildings, architecture, farm, oilpaint, texture, palette knife, impressionism, landscape, impressionism, landscape, travel, oil painting, green

Autumn in Provence...

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A cabin situated on a snow-covered mountainside emits smoke into a purple-tinted sky. With bold painterly strokes, artist Robert Hofherr creates movement amid...

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"Fall in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is bold with brilliant yellows of the aspens," says artist Heather Foster. "These aspen trees are fascinating - they a...

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Artist Elizabeth Garat presents an impressionist landscape of lavender fields. The piece recalls a warm day in July during the height of summer. Billowy clouds in pink and blue hues stretch the horizon in a beautiful display of reflected sunlight. She paints on location in the countryside of Provence, France.

About the Artist
Growing up in California and Colorado, Elizabeth spent much of her formative years outdoors. “Exposure to nature early on planted the seed of landscape painting in me,” she says. She enjoyed spending time on her grandfather’s sunny sheep ranch and going to the beach with her grandmother. Her grandmother also would bring her to art galleries in Laguna Beach, where she was first introduced to California Impressionism...

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A monochromatic winter forest with warm tones of beige, brown, and yellow by artist Tatiana Iliina. With her swift and precise strokes, Tatiana captures the g...

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Artist Onelio Marrero enjoys hiking the many trails near his home. This particular painting derives from one of those hikes as he explored one of several mora...

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A lovely group of waterlilies flourishing near a ripple of shallow water enchanted artist Onelio Marrero. He regards himself as an avid observer of nature. He...