Abstract Impressionist Still-life Paintings

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Inspired by nature's blooms, artist Lisa Elley rendered this piece solely with the use of a palette knife. She creates thick tangible textures, leaping off th...

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"Spring is a wonderful time to paint flowers," says artist Oksana Johnson. "Everything is blooming and the colors all around are inspiring. In this compositio...

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Artist Nicole Lamothe creates a simple yet striking composition of velvety red roses in a clear glass vase. A single petal falls to the table, directing the e...

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Ruth LaGue expresses an arrangement of two red poppies in a yellow ceramic vase. A lone petal falls onto the table's surface adding a dramatic touch. Ruth use...

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Painting from life, artist Mary Pratt creates a clear glass vase with light reflecting on its shiny surface. With pronounced brushstrokes, Mary sets a joyful ...

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"I used a palette knife to paint a feeling," says artist Judy Mackey. In this upbeat still life, Judy rendered a bouquet of bright red carnations, adding abstract dashes of yellow and red to build the emotion of the scene she experienced in her studio. She worked all prima, layering wet on wet paint until she achieved the desired sculptural surface.

About the Artist
Originally from Japan, Judy Mackey embarked upon her professional artistic career over a decade ago after connecting with a local artist. He taught her how to skillfully wield a palette knife instead of a paintbrush, which gave rise to her own stylistic development. Judy uses this technique to create heavy texture. Her medium of choice is oil paint, with which she enjoys mixing and creating new colors with limited pigments. Her work glows with sweet simplicity in a painterly, impressionistic style.

Words that describe this painting: flowers, floral, vase, still life, impressionism, palette knife, alla prima, texture, carnations, impressionism, flora, representational, oil painting, blue

Grocery Store...

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Every spring, artist Melissa Gannon looks for the first blooming roses. She paints a joyful response to the wonders of the sprin...

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Artist James Hartman created this summer still life using the Zorn palette. Named after the Swedish artist Anders Zorn, the limited palette consists of just f...

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A vibrant still life featuring a colorful patterned vase with lush greens and flora by artist Claudia Verciani. "This still life was done in my studio with a high contrast light above to depict shadows and light," explains Claudia. Bright blue lines...

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"Last spring, I picked up a little collection of succulents from the grocery store," says artist Tara Zalewsky-Nease. "I hesitated to buy them at first, as I’...

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Naoko describes this vibrant scene as a walled garden where all kinds of herbs and medieval plants are in full bloom. The sun shines brightly, illuminating th...

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A glowing still life of sunflowers and wildflowers arranged on a rich blue backdrop. Artist Jeff Fleming describes his painting style as kinetic impressionism. Jeff started the piece with a pencil sketch on the canvas, then with gloved hands, he generously applied oil paint using his fingers. Jeff says he created this scene purely from imagination.

About the Artist
Artist Jeff Fleming uses fingerpainting to create exuberant portraits of dogs. Growing up in Southern California, Jeff was first introduced to fingerpainting in kindergarten. He painted through high school and college and won several art awards, including Best of Show in a city wide student competition. After graduating with a degree in journalism and advertising, he went to work as an art director. For the next 40 years, he created print, radio and television ads for a number of top agencies. "After retiring in 2019, the clouds of stress and pressure cleared and allowed me to set my creative energy free," says Jeff. He began developing new techniques focused on the excitement and energy of painting. Today, he uses a variety of methods and tools, including fingerpainting wearing nitrile gloves, traditional paint brushes, bamboo shish kebab sticks, kite string, spraypaint and splattering. While working, Jeff always listens to music, including Broadway musicals, dance music and rhythmic Hawaiian tunes.

Words that describe this painting: impressionism, flowers, vase, spring, blooms, Iris Scott...

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Artist Sherri Aldawood encountered these glowing waterlilies in a fountain at Mission San Juan Capistrano in California. Soft morning light warms the pink flowers and lilypads while gentle reflections echo across the water. Sherri layered greens in a loose impressionist style to bring dimension and texture to the scene.

About the Artist
Sherri Aldawood didn't intend to always paint flowers, but over time her love of gardens started to permeate her art. She focuses on the light and color of the flowers on the canvas. Sherri prefers alla prima, working with wet layers of paint instead of letting them dry. She keeps the paint as wet as possible by using walnut and clove oil to extend the drying time.

Words that describe this painting: flowers, floral, waterlily, San Juan Capistrano, California, fountain, nature, water, impressionism, Monet, lily, pond, impressionism, flora, representational, oil painting, green

Three Water Lillies...

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A cluster of pink hydrangeas arranged in a clear rounded vase in full bloom. Artist Nicole Lamothe painted this piece in alla-pr...

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Artist Lisa Nielsen captures a cool and soft atmosphere in this still-life piece. She expresses freedom to experiment with the arrangement of elements by adding glasses, teacups, and ribbons. Lisa infuses shades of blue throughout the entire composition. She adds subtle contrasts of color for easiness to the eyes.

About the Artist
There;s a certain innocent joy that comes through in Lisa Nielsen;s artwork. She finds beauty in the everyday and often ordinary, whether it;s painting a pretty girl in the garden or spending time with her daughter at Chipotle - and let;s face it, what isn;t beautiful about a burrito bowl? Lisa likes to say she captures moments in the journey of life. What we see in her art is all part of her life philosophy: to be still, to breathe, to exhaust the small moment.

Words that describe this painting: still life, cool, soft, glass, flowers, ribbon, teacup, small, rose, impressionism, impressionism, still life, oil painting

Composition in Blue...

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Pamela Blaies was inspired by a little slice of light shining into her studio late one afternoon while she was cleaning up for the day. The illuminated stash ...

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A joyous bouquet of various flowers set against a dramatic dark background by artist Autumn Rose. Inspired by her never-ending love of botanicals, Autumn comb...

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Festive holiday ornaments spread out in artist Hadley Northrop's jubilant impressionist rendering. A window display of a store in Los Angeles during the yuletide, the kind of still life that catches the painter's eye. Light beams from red chili pepper string bulbs, a spotlight, and reflections from the city street reflected in the round baubles and the shop window...

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A bright trio of ripe pears fills this composition by artist Sharon Sieben. Opting for a close-up view, Sharon presents a fun and playful take on still life. ...

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Artist Judy Mackey shares her joy in painting US flags. In this piece, the flag is painted at a stationary position set against an abstracted blue background....

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"The vase in this painting is the main character," says artist Oksana Johnson. "This handmade Italian ceramic piece is a work of art in and of itself. I selected other elements for this composition to support and complement its timeless charm." Oksana applied distinct brushwork on the blue and white vessel and created a striking balance of color with the soft peach roses.

About the Artist
Oksana’s paintings embody the tradition of Impressionism in the truest sense of the style. While Impressionism in its 19th Century roots was intended to change both the method and perception of painting modern life, Impressionist work in a contemporary context is arguably entirely about aesthetics. Oksana’s paintings beautifully capture serene city and garden scenes with soft painterly strokes and a delicate depiction of light. She often works en plein air, particularly when she travels in Europe, following in the footsteps of the Impressionist masters. When she’s not travelling or painting outdoors, Oksana can be found admiring her tranquil view of the Pacific Ocean from her San Francisco home and studio.

Words that describe this painting: flowers, bouquet, still life, roses, table, floral, vase, impressionism, still life, representational, oil painting, purple

Yellow Roses and Italian...

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Artist McGarren Flack paints a decadent chocolate mint cupcake on a solid white background. “Who doesn't like sweets?” asks McGarren. In his Sweets series...

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Artist Lisa Nielsen paints a dainty still-life piece of jars and cups. She paints the arrangement in soft cool colors for a relaxed mood. Lisa adds a dramatic...

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A dreamy still life of peach and white roses, a gold-rimmed teacup, and a red candle. "Edges, edges, edges," says artist Lisa Nielsen. "The longer I paint the...

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Artist John Jaster presents a vibrant still-life of delectable fruits and dainty daisies. Luscious red apples and plump strawberries sparkle on the deep gray ...