Abstract Impressionist Art

Artist Comments
"The sunlight danced across the water and on the foliage hanging over the stream, creating a frame for the deep woods beyond," Patri...

Artist Comments
"On December 21st, 2020 I witnessed the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn," shares artist Elizabeth Garat. "Astronomers said these planets hadn't appear...

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar paints a classic white house perched on top of a hill. Lush greenery circles the delightful scene. She depicts serene surroundings r...

Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster paints an impressionistic painting of two White Mandarin ducks. He displays them with their reflections swirling in the water. With intrica...

Artist Comments
"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...

Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero shows a view of the Lambertville Canal facing south on a spring morning. He conveys the composition in his signature impressionist style...

Artist Comments
Onelio lives near Manhattan and travels there often. Grand Central Station is one of his frequent stops. "It is a marvelous interior space that bustles with c...

Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by my view from a hotel balcony in Paris. I captured the motion and texture of the moment in my signature style to inspire the view...

Artist Comments
"I love waterfalls, and this painting was inspired by a similar waterfall, although this exact scene doesn’t exist," shares artist Joanie Ford...

Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mudd paints a dreamy pink sunset in a charming country landscape. Part of her ongoing rural series of outback sceneries. She draws inspiration fro...

Artist Comments
Artist Jo Galang depicts a tranquil forest path illuminated by tender sunlight. She takes inspiration from her refreshing walks by the river. "Spending time i...

Artist Comments
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...

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar displays a dreamy forest clearing in delicate color. Trees line the landscape, casting shadows on the wintry terrain. A peaceful and...

Artist Comments
A group of inviting Mediterranean style homes in Palm Springs nestled against a backdrop of rocky desert hills, and watched over by a sentinel palm tree. "Thi...

Artist Comments
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...

Artist Comments
While visiting Paris a few years ago, Faye was inspired by the way the late afternoon sunlight cast its long shadows across this busy street corner. "The warm...

Artist Comments
An open porch welcomes the morning breeze and the warm sunrise. Artist Onelio Marrero recreates the setting from a bed and breakfast inn called "Angel of The Sea" in Cape May...

Artist Comments
A puddled hillside path reflects the sky's brilliant light just after an afternoon shower. The light gives the fall trees a soft backlit appearance. "I love t...

Artist Comments
"A drone's eye view inspired this painting," shares artist Suzanne Massion. Suzanne used a minimal palette of soft hues to elaborate on a stark winter scene. ...

Artist Comments
The bare branches and textured grasses in this piece were painted mostly with a palette knife, giving it the broken, wild feeling of nature. In addition to th...

Artist Comments
Artist Kristen Brown depicts a parting of trees revealing a quiet lake at dusk. The peaceful composition captures the brilliant colors of evening light with f...

Artist Comments
Artist Janet Dyer depicts a burning glow of the setting sun slowly sinking below a snow-covered horizon. Its warmth dusts the clouds a pink hue as the night s...

Artist Comments
Artist Elizabeth Garat developed this impressionist landscape after a summer hike through the rolling hills of Southern California. She says it was a warm day beneath a dynamic sky. "I wanted to record the striking balance between the golden hill in the foreground and the deep blue mountains behind it."

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. Today, Elizabeth lives in Tennessee and enjoys painting both outdoors and in her studio, a detached garage at her home. She has a keen interest in working with color and capturing the effects of light.

Words that describe this painting: impressionistic, California, summer, landscape, hills, mountains, trees, clouds, sky , impressionism, landscape, representational, oil painting, blue

Santa Ana...

Artist Comments
Artist James Nyika depicts a cold January afternoon before a snowstorm near the US Capitol in Washington DC. Glowing in the afternoon light, James captures th...

Artist Comments
Patricia set up her easel on an early fall morning to catch the beauty of the fog rising off of the river. The sun was just beginnin...

Artist Comments
"Look backward to move forward," says artist James Nyika. Taking inspiration from this very scene unfolding from his rearview mirror while driving, James pain...

Artist Comments
"When starting a work the most overlooked detail is the size of the canvas," says artist Benjamin Thomas. He explains why the size of his canvases has recentl...

Artist Comments
"The inland hill country of Northern California is ideal for raising and riding horses," says artist Catherine McCargar. "This is my impression of a scene at a local ranch that captures both an up-close view of iconic beaver-tail cactus, and a glimpse of the surrounding rolling and distant hills." Catherine infused the scene with bright midday sun and the quiet, welcoming atmosphere of the landscape.

About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern California. While she is well-versed in a range of media, her preferred medium for painting is watercolor. The fluidity of the paint allows her to capture the muted undertones and the fleeting light found in the natural world. While the backgrounds of her paintings are impressionistic, the foregrounds of her paintings are often highly detailed, showcasing her technical mastery over her medium.

Words that describe this painting: landscape, hills, plants, cactus, ranch, mountains, nature, country, impressionism, Northern California, prickly pear, western, impressionism, nature, western, representational, acrylic painting, green

Horse Country...

Artist Comments
"Milan, the center of fashion in Europe, is a beautiful city with fantastic classical architecture, trams and people milling about attending to their work," ...

Artist Comments
Artist Elizabeth Garat paints a dramatic view of the sky above the vast ocean's choppy waters and distant coastal islands. The brilliant rays of the sun illum...

Artist Comments
I painted this from a photo I took at Stafford Lake on a cloudy, rainy day. As I worked on it, it started to feel like a night scene to me and I thought it would be fun to add the moon and its reflection. I like how it provides a counter point in this monochromatic design.

About the Artist
Pastel artist Patricia Prendergast creates impressionist artworks that depict the rivers and landscapes near her home in Sacramento, California. With each nature vignette, she captures the sense of larger natural rhythms through quick mark-making, mauve undertones, and a tranquil and serene haziness. Her work recalls the paintings from the Hudson River School such as Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand. Before working on her pastels at home in her studio, she spends hours studying nature on walks along the river near her home. Since becoming an artist, she says “everything is more vivid - the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water.” Her work as been exhibited in solo shows around California. She is represented by UGallery.

Moon over...

Artist Comments
In this painting, Pamela used a technique known as Contre-jour, where she backlit the figure. The strong light behind the young man creates a nice contrast be...

Artist Comments
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...

Artist Comments
When artist Patricia Prendergast paints at the river, she often quickly picks up her camera and snaps photographs of other details ...

Artist Comments
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...

Artist Comments
This impressionist rendition of a narrow ravine is the first piece in artist Onelio Marrero's series that explores the terrain and geology of northwestern New...

Artist Comments
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 ...

Artist Comments
Artist Catherine McCargar explores the tranquility of still waters and deep shadows in this peaceful coastal landscape. The sun's rays shine on the greenery w...

Artist Comments
A radiant still life with blooms of pastel pink and yellow against a periwinkle backdrop by artist Mary Pratt. "Painting from life, I created a neutral glass ...

Artist Comments
Artist Crystal DiPietro shares a spectacular mountain desert view from a camping and hiking trip to the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. Rendered en plein air, Crystal captured the sierra's golden summit as the sun sets, its rays melting into the west. "The late afternoon light lit up the dramatic peaks with a warm glow."

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: mountains, desert, peaks, sunset, landscape, southwest, west, western, plein air, Mojave, Joshua Tree, shadow, impressionism, oilpaint, impressionism, landscape, western, oil painting, blue

Sunset Glow...

Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by a beautiful winter scene. Western mountains spotted with evergreen trees and banks of snow depict a ...

Artist Comments
In Sunrise at Malibu, I wanted to capture the rich plum silhouettes of the Santa Monica mountains just after dawn. On clear days after the sun rises, the cap...

Artist Comments
"During an early fall morning on one of my daily strolls, I was coming round a bend and saw this sight - bright morning sunlight ...

Artist Comments
A grove of trees in the middle of a plowed field provided the inspiration for this western landscape painting. This piece is on a gallery wrapped canvas with finished black edges. It comes ready to hang.

About the Artist
Nancy Merkle;s process begins with a glimpse of color, a flicker of light, a pattern, or a texture. Elements swirl in her mind for hours, sometimes days, sometimes weeks before a design clicks and is transferred to canvas. With the canvas in front of her, she works intuitively -- a mark here, a mark there, a little touch of color, a bit of texture -- until she is satisfied and declares the work finished. Currently Nancy;s work leans toward abstraction; she doesn't paint the world as it is, but as she wishes it were. Bold colors and loose brush strokes are her goal. When she;s not making art, Nancy travels the Pacific Coast with a bicycle strapped to the car and curiosity in my back pocket. Fun Fact: Nancy lived in Alaska until she was five. She had bison in the backyard, bears at the landfill, and a moose who stopped by once in a while to look for sweet grass...

Artist Comments
Colorful autumn grasses light up this mountain hillside. Part of Nancy's signature series of nature scenes. She spends a lot of tim...