By Khalida Sarwari
From now through Valentine’s Day, Saratoga artist Holly Van Hart will prove just why she deserved to win first place last year in the Triton Museum of Art’s 2013 statewide painting competition with her very first solo exhibition in a museum.
Van Hart’s exhibition, titled “Possibilities Abound,” shares the name of the 30-by-40-inch painting of a nest cradling three eggs that propelled her to a win in the competition. In this exhibition, Van Hart expands on the theme of possibilities and self-invention. Many of her works portray nests, which to her represent home, and eggs, which symbolize lives that have yet to be hatched.
“I’m continuing to explore this idea that I’m very passionate about which is the possibilities in our lives, exploring that through my current medium which is oil paintings on canvas,” said Van Hart, adding that she is also attempting to challenge herself by painting more abstractly.
The Possibilities Abound exhibit features 17 of Van Hart’s oil paintings that depict larger-than-life eggs, birds and nests that, according to Van Hart, “symbolize the promise of our own capabilities.”
Van Hart began working on the paintings soon after winning the competition late last year and the process of completing them took about 14 months, she said.
Of the 17 paintings, eight of them are now owned by collectors in Silicon Valley. and eventually they’ll all be available for sale.
On Jan. 14, the Triton Museum will host an event titled “Night at the Triton,” where the public will be invited to come and observe Van Hart demonstrate her painting techniques. The event is free and runs from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
In January, Van Hart will have yet another solo exhibit at the University of California, San Francisco. Titled “Serenity,” this exhibit will showcase 10 30-by-40-inch paintings and launches Jan. 15 for a three-month run. These paintings will feature boldly colored, celebratory ribbons interleaved with circles, eggs and flowers symbolizing unlimited creativity and possibilities. Van Hart noted that the themes in this exhibit will mirror those of “Possibilities Abound.”
“In many of my Triton paintings, in the nest I’ve put in a lot of ribbons, and that’s a very celebratory feel,” she said. “I’ve dialed it up in the new exhibit.”
Later in the spring, Van Hart is planning to once again participate in Silicon Valley Open Studios, where she’ll invite the public to visit her home gallery. That event runs May 16-17.
Her work can also been seen at the Los Gatos Museums Gallery on an ongoing basis.
In the future, Van Hart said she’d be interested in exploring ways to incorporate art with technology, as she comes from a high-tech background.
“Finding any way to engage the Silicon Valley community that I’ve been a part of for so long–just finding a new and interesting way to have them participate more in the arts–it’s just an idea, but it’s something that I’m very interested in exploring,” she said.
The Triton Museum is at 1505 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara.
For more information about the “Possibilities Abound” exhibit, visithollyvanhart.com/2014/08/tritonreception.
Link: Saratoga artist Holly Van Hart has new exhibit at Triton Museum in Santa Clara
