Abstract Impressionist Art

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Sherri posed her model, Bridget, in her backyard garden just as the sun was setting to capture the dramatic backlighting. Golden light silhouettes the figure and works with the shaded areas to build three dimensionality. A timeless and gentle portrait in the warm Arizona light.

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: woman, female, feminine, light, evening, garden, impressionistic, figure, figurative, person, people, Sargent, Sorolla, impressionism, people, representational, oil painting, green

Lost in Thought...

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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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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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Claudia Verciani painted this impressionist scene after seeing fishing boats in Brazil.

About the Artist
Inspired by the great Impressionist painters, Claudia uses paint emotionally to depict the beauty of life. She is most inspired by light, and as such, tends to paint en plein air frequently. Claudia strives to capture singular, transient moments in time in which the contrast between light and dark values are striking. She presents a body of work that conveys traditionally Impressionist influences across varying choices of subject matter.

Words that describe this painting: impressionism, boats, seascape, harbor, impressionism, seascape, representational, oil painting, blue

Three Amigos...

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Nancy Merkle spends a lot of time exploring the nature around her home in Tacoma, Washington searching for special compositions in the landscape. She looks fo...

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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. "A red u...

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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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A path leads into dense woods, punctuated by old growth eucalyptus trees and bright, dry grasses. Quickly passing fog glows with afternoon light. A common sig...

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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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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...

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"A tranquil setting for a picnic or an early afternoon nap," says Patricia. The eucalyptus trees create a frame for the pond, the mid-ground bushes and the di...

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A joyful wedding bouquet, done in a loose watercolor style with warm, rich hues. Red, yellow and pink blossoms set against a complementary abstract background of cool blues, greens and greys. Part of Karin's signature series of exuberant floral...

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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...

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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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Suzanne revisited a site and theme found in a previous work, "Solar Event over Marsh and Fen." However, she changed the tone of this painting to reflect the c...

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This imagined landscape captures the drama of crashing waves, or a desert rock face against a cloudy sky. I worked with a seascape ...

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This painting is about combining realism, abstraction, color, spontaneity - all of the things that I think make for an exciting and engaging piece of art.

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Valerie Berkely looks for stories in her travels as inspiration for her abstracted landscapes. She says of this calm scene, Just offshore there lies a slip of land along the lake known as The Point...

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This is a rendering of one of my favorite trees. It has such character and sits by itself in a riverbed that is dry most of the year. I wanted to create a moo...

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This is my interpretation of a section of the American River near my home. I tried to convey the feeling of peace that I get when walking in this area with the ducks and birds for company. I added the path for a little sense of mystery as to what we might see in those trees beyond the river. I created this piece on Ampersand Pastelbord and it will need framing for display.

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.

View down the River...

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...

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I painted this on a piece of blue-grey sanded pastel paper. I let much of the paper show through in the water and just 'scumbled' across it to create some lig...

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A distant ridge touches the cloudy blue sky, sugar maples have turned a glorious yellow, and I am standing waist deep in a field of tall goldenrod. It;s late...

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This is a distant view of the hoodoos in Valley of the Gods in Utah. The glowing sunset light and long shadows as I prepared to ca...

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This is an impressionistic painting of light filtering in through cypress trees in a river. The overall hues in the painting are cool blues and greyed violets...

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This small tree stands by itself and is shining in a very pure and translucent yellow. It looks like a drop of sweet honey or a fragment of star dust. This pa...

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The intuitive nature of my personality flows over into my art practice. It is essential for me to paint without reference materials or a preconceived outcome. Art has healed me and brought so much joy and peace into my life. I am fascinated with clouds, fog, mist, rays of sunlight, mountains, trees, sunsets, marshlands, rolling pastures, moody skies. Through my paintings, I seek to create images that bring peace and inspire hope.

About the Artist
Jenn Williamson expertly evokes the scenery of British Columbia in her soft abstract landscapes. She utilizes defining horizontal and vertical strokes, coupled with a skillful handling of color, to create significant depth in each piece. Her paintings, though abstracted, clearly convey the atmospheric attributes of the scene–rain, wind, clouds, fog. Jenn’s muted color palette transports the viewer to the Canadian west coast...

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I was inspired by the rich colors and beauty of Balboa Park, in San Diego CA.

About the Artist
Inspired by the great Impressionist painters, Claudi...

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Purple and green are two of my favorite colors and wisteria is the perfect subject! I squirted paint directly onto the paper to make a lovely, saturated wash. When dry I developed the piece intuitively. I finished with tinted gouache to highlight the lovely light behind the wisteria. I'm very pleased with the mood of this piece.

About the Artist
Melissa is passionate about color. She finds it to be the most significant form of inspiration to paint. Speaking on influences in her work, Melissa says, “Sometimes it’s an idea that I can’t get out of my head, or a color that I just MUST paint!” She particularly enjoys painting leaves, and the changing colors of Oregon foliage are visible in her work. In 2001, Melissa began teaching art classes, which has allowed her to view her own artwork in a new way. “The information that flows in a class is awesome,” she says. Melissa is constantly learning from the students in her classes, and is more conscious of what it means to be an artistic role model.

Words that describe this painting: wisteria,flowers,watercolor painting,watercolor floral,floral,purple,green,purple and green,nature,floral painting,, impressionism, flora, representational, watercolor painting, green, purple, purple

Mysteries of Purple & Green
Melissa Gannon...

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I enjoy making trips to Palm Springs to collect inspirational material for paintings. I am especially drawn to the bougainvillea blossoms that grow so well in...

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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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This painting was inspired by the view from my hotel balcony in Paris of the pedestrian below me, trying to button his coat as he walked against the wind. I created the movement of the walking figure in expressive brushstrokes that emulate pixelation and motion. I use the unique aerial perspective to turn the human figure into a more abstract shape and to emphasize the movement of the figure.

About the Artist
Warren Keating's paintings start with documentation. He captures subjects on video from birds-eye views, digitizes the film on his computer and, finally, paints them on canvas in an active style he describes as Pixel Impressionism. He merges artistic elements of the 20th Century with 21st Century technology. Warren credits Futurism as well as Richard Diebenkorn and Willem de Kooning as influences in his paintings. Fun fact: Warren’s inspiration for this series came from a vacation to Paris where he photographed passersby from his hotel balcony in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Blue Monday...