7 Landscape Paintings to Inspire Your Summer of Art

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We all get a bit of seasonal wanderlust when summer rolls around. For me, it’s all about the urge to reconnect with nature. To breathe, explore with all my senses, and allow the beauty of the places around me to provide a much needed recharge.

It also means taking in inspiration for summer art. That’s why I’ve collected a set of inspirational landscapes to provoke the same reaction for you—allowing you to “breathe deep” and open up to what your summer art-making wants to encompass. Don’t let the season pass you by without capturing the beauty of nature in art.

Mirror Lake

Instant tranquility. That’s what I feel when I look at Franklin Carmichael’s painting—immediate ease and just a relaxation in my mind and body as I soak up the colors and the gentle curving lines. Imagine seeing like this all the time—a gift reserved only for us, artists!

Placida

I have met Michael Reardon and I know for a fact that he doesn’t have wings, nor is he 10 feet tall—yet how else can we make sense of his incredible vantage points? He allows his viewers to soar across expanses of sky that really just fill you up with a lot of joy.

Lawrence Tree

Debates on how this painting should be oriented give viewing it another level of interest, but for me it is about peaceful rest no matter how you hang it on the wall. I imagine myself resting oh-so comfortably at the base of the tree, breathing fresh pine-scented air and feeling like I’ve been swallowed up by the universe in the very best way.

Serenity Lake of the Woods

Is there technically such a thing as a skyscape? If so, this work definitely is a category leader. What makes it so interesting is the color and the forms. The way the two cloud formations overlap and seem to electrify each other. The golden light seems to glow in contrast to the deep blue-purple-green-greys of the oncoming storm clouds.

Energy Field & Water

Nancy Reyner makes disorientation an incredibly pleasant experience. I don’t know if I’m above the water, in front of it or underneath it, but either way I embrace what I am seeing. The texture of the painting surface mimics the crash and swirl of waves in an abstract way that feels as close to the truth as anything I’ve ever seen.

Morning at Cavaliere

I love the fauvist explosion of patchy color in this Henri Manguin painting. It is the epitome of summer at her headiest. It seems like there is a visual riot going on and yet it feels like I could easily step up to the painting and be in this place. The composition is that strong—it feels that real.

Niagara

There will definitely come a time in summer where I will be sticky and sweaty, reeling from the heat. This painting by John Salminen could be my saving grace. I feel cool and refreshed as soon as I turn my eyes on it. The brisk chill of the air seems to snap on the surface of the painting and provides a much needed antidote to the heat.

May all of these works inspire you to create your own vision of the season!