San Francisco - More Art

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Building up many layers of color in oil paint and cold wax medium, Valerie then used scrapers to reveal the tree trunks in an abstract landscape. Warm orange and yellow trees standing in front of a cool blue and green background. Heavy texture complements the expressionist palette. The piece is part of a series of three works. Although Valerie did not create them as triptych, the three hang well close together.

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: woods, forest, trees, nature, expressionism, nature, non-representational, oil painting, blue

Bare Trees...

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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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The Smithsonian Castle in Washington, DC on a bright summer afternoon. The brilliant green lawn and trees in the foreground ...

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The Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington State provided the inspiration for this semi-abstract landscape painting. A rug...

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As waves break on shore, a sailboat heads out to sea under the early morning sky. A series of oil glazes were used to ...

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"This painting was inspired by the idea that we are shaped by outside forces, but remain unchanged, we persist in the face of adversity," says Shao. "It is what makes us human." Shao's energetic paintings of stallions explore and illustrate movement through nature. This work represents an immigrant's journey, filled with strength and perseverance. Shao incorporates both contemporary watercolor and traditional ink calligraphy styles into this series of oil paintings.

About the Artist
Art has been with Shao Yuan Zhang for the majority of his extraordinary, and at times difficult, life journey. Raised in communist China...

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After an early morning trip to the Oregon coast, Jo painted this classic beach scene. The warm grasses and rocky shoreline draw the eye in and provide nice co...

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A small coastal farmhouse tucked into a spring landscape, nasturtiums in the foreground give way to old eucalyptus and Cypress trees in the distance. Inspired from a scene in northern California that Kip sketched in one of his notebooks nearly 25 years ago. Part of his signature series of impressionist landscapes. He captures forest scenes, marshes and prairies throughout the year, playing up the changing color palette of the seasons and the specific lighting conditions. He focuses less on specific places than the overall feeling of the scene.

About the Artist
Kip Decker boasts more than 40 years of experience with acrylic paint. His images come from places he has lived - everywhere from Arizona to Oregon to Colorado. He finds inspiration in nature and admires the work of Post Impressionist artists. He likes to think of his artwork as "lyrical expressionism." Kip currently lives across the street from a small lake where he enjoys watching the birds.

Words that describe this painting: barn, California, flowers, field, pasture, trees, impressionism, landscape, representational, acrylic painting, blue

Near Half Moon Bay...

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Alana's Wallpaper series is a juxtaposition between masculine and feminine. "I wanted to create a unique series that stands apart from traditional nature pai...

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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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"This sweet spot can be found around the base of Shannon Falls in British Columbia, the third highest falls in the province," explains Jo. "There you'll also ...

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An uplifting, light-filled landscape that combines old world realism with a modern aesthetic. Cumulus clouds gather at the horizon and sweep upward across the sky, enlivening the landscape. The cool blues of the sky contrast with the warm oranges and ochres of the hills. The long horizontal format gives a contemporary feel and a sense of calm.

About the Artist
Mandy Main is an art historian and landscape painter based in the Southern California desert. She has long been passionate about 19th Century American landscape paintings, which has been influential in her artistic practice. Mandy works in series, generally three paintings at a time. Her process begins with a vision of a place she has been, but she takes creative liberties with the aesthetic details. The artist is captivated by light and shadow, and strives to instill her work with moody drama through the representation of these elements. Using layers of paint and glazes, Mandy achieves mesmerizing atmospheric depth, encouraging the viewer to gaze and be still.

Words that describe this painting: landscape, realism, nature, clouds, sky, sunlight, countryside, panoramic, hills , landscape, realism, representational, oil painting, blue

Golden Hills...

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While on a summer hike in the woods, Jo discovered this stream and small pool of water. She says she couldn't resist stopping and dipping her feet in the cool...

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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 quiet, peaceful meadow near Lime Ridge on Mt. Diablo in California. Catherine explains that at one time, this area was bustling with mining activity. She fo...

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This is another view of Campobello Island. I was inspired by the long shadows created in the late afternoon light and by the fact that it looks untouched by h...

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"This ghostly portrait of a man represents a transitory experience and movement between places," says Kristen. Rendered with soft light, the painting mimics t...

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A view of the tide coming in near the artist's home. "When the tide is out, there is a lot more beach and a lot less water," Teresa says. "A calm painting wit...

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"This painting was inspired by the dramatic lighting and shadows receding into West 14th Street at sunset," says artist Nick Savid...

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Every summer, Jo goes down to the Coquitlam River near her home in British Columbia to enjoy the beautiful green surroundings glowing in the summer heat. "I couldn't resist how inviting this scenery was," she says. "Where I live, summer only lasts about three months, so I put this scene on canvas to enjoy it the whole year through."

About the Artist

Words that describe this painting: nature, water, trees, rocks, river, sunlight, woods, summer, forest, stream, riverbank, nature, realism, representational, oil painting, green

A Moment in Time...

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More and more I love to experiment with abstraction. It's amazing how realism with some abstraction somehow looks more true than when rendered using just real...

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An expressionist portrait of relationships as a dance. Dominant blue palette with hints of red, purple and pink that offers both cal...

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This piece is an abstracted cityscape painting, completed entirely with a palette knife. This work is on a gallery wrapped canvas with finished black edges. I...

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The bison and the beetle have a prehistoric elegance about them that I thought would compliment each other perfectly. Symbolically, both represent life and mortality, which has been on my mind lately. To Native Americans, bison are symbolic of sacred life and abundance. And in ancient greek mythology the beetle became revered as a symbol of rebirth and immortality -- its daily journey across the sky became an allegory of human life. The Wallpaper collection is a juxtaposition of masculine meets feminine. I wanted to create a unique series that stands apart from traditional nature paintings, where the wild and somewhat prehistoric aspects of my animals featured contrast against their delicate backdrops. In addition to this, many of my paintings are created with a little bit of underlying symbolism usually sparked from a world event or life moment that I am experiencing. I concentrate on this theme as a therapeutic mantra throughout the creation of the painting. For each painting, different techniques and layers of design are implemented when creating the wall paper effect. To keep the patterns consistent I create a stencil to outline the shapes of my hummingbirds, bugs and fish, and then I hand paint each shape individually. In the areas where I wanted a little more chaos, I would forgo the stencil and eyeball each design. My animals are always painted first, and then I layout the design around them.

About the Artist
Australian-born Alana Clumeck...

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Crystal says this painting was inspired by the beautiful light and shadows after a rare desert snowstorm. She used a limited palette of blues and white and an...

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While the artist painted this scene from life, the aroma of lavender filled the studio. "The atmosphere seemed to calm the storms of the day," Pamela recalls....

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I've painted this scene a couple of times before. There a lots of dead pines facing the channel that separates the coast of Maine from Grand Manan Island, exc...

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Morgan creates ethereal atmospheres using feathery brushstrokes and subtle contrasts. Her muted, tonal palette allows the texture and layering to take centers...

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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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This ethereal portrait of a woman represents a fleeting encounter that fades away. Rendered with soft light, the painting mimics the quality of a dream disapp...

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Broad strokes of blue and green merge with the strong lines of the figure to create a sense of lightness and buoyancy. "This painting was inspired by a holida...

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Part of a series inspired by Colette's journey through the french countryside. An abstracted foreground gives way to a small village scene, with the town chur...

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Kent Sullivan draws ideas for paintings from a variety of sources - plein air sessions, photography, videos, memory, and sketches...

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Building up many layers of color in oil paint and cold wax medium, Valerie then used scrapers to reveal the tree trunks in an abstract landscape. Warm orange and yellow trees standing in front of a cool blue and green background. Heavy texture complements the expressionist palette. The piece is part of a series of three works. Although Valerie did not create them as triptych, the three hang well close together.

About the Artist
Valerie Berkely...

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...

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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 piece is one of two images of Metamorphosis. This one is the metamorphosis of a bud into a flower. The second painting, Metamorphosis II, is the metamorp...

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Willets are usually at the edge of the surf, poking into the wet sand as they follow each wave in and out. This one, when I came on him, was standing above th...

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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...

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My grandmother's old homestead is the inspiration behind this painting. The sunlight provides a beautiful afternoon glow on the side of the house while casti...

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This piece was inspired by the vibrant cheerful colors. Metallic and interference colors were used to create a vibrant effect. This piece is on gallery wrapp...

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This piece was inspired by the vibrant cheerful colors. Metallic and interference colors were used to create a vibrant effect. This piece is on gallery wrapped canvas and the painting continues around the sides. It comes varnished and ready to hang.

About the Artist
Courtney Jacobs...

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

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A lone wolf trots in the snow, encircled with a red halo. In the background, herring swim among a flower pattern, inspired from her childhood memories growing...