Emerging Artists | Van Stein, Gough, Jones, Winegar

Portrait of the Queen by Thomas Van Stein painting, southwest art.
Portrait of the Queen

Thomas Van Stein

Like Dracula, Thomas Van Stein comes out at night. Setting up his easel, he begins to lay down colors, a light affixed to his cap illuminating the canvas. Dawn sends him packing, stashing his wet, shimmering canvases in his truck and heading home for a few hours of sleep before resuming his graduate studies at California State University, Northridge.

Moody, nocturnal paintings have become Van Stein’s specialty. He seeks out subjects that glow the city at night, the full moon—or scenes with intriguing silhouettes. Find his work at Montecito Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, and Cantor-Roughton, Westlake Village, CA.

All the Generations by Molly Gough painting, southwest art.
All the Generations

Molly Gough

Colorado artist Molly Gough, who works in both watercolor and oil, spends about half of her time painting outdoors, but her subject matter is not limited to breathtaking Rocky Mountain landscapes. “One of my favorite paintings,” she says, “is of a cement plant at night, its glowing lights burning into the darkness. My friends couldn’t understand what I saw in it, but I love the subtle colors and the drama of the night light.”

After receiving her BFA in commercial art from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, Gough ran her own graphic design and illustration business until 1992, when she decided to start painting full time. Her work is represented by Merrill Gallery of Fine Art, Denver, CO; White River Gallery, Vail, CO; Edward Parent and Associates, Boulder, CO; and Ann Compton Gallery, Greensboro, NC.

Melons by Jane Jones painting, southwest art.
Melons

Jane Jones

A native of Denver, CO, Jane Jones can be inspired by an onion in her garden just as easily as other artists are inspired by the Rocky Mountains near her home. Jones’ still lifes of flowers, vegetables, and other natural items allude to her appreciation for nature and her education in biology. She uses layers of oil glazes over opaque underpainting to achieve depth of light and luminosity. “For me, light passing through a leaf or flower petal or captured on a piece of fruit has the same mystical qualities as light passing through stained glass in a church,” she says. Jones is a member of the Oil Painters of America. She is represented by LeKAE Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, and Turner Art Gallery, Denver, CO.



Seth Winegar

Farmington Bay by Seth Winegar, painting, southwest art.
Farmington Bay

In Bountiful, UT, where he has lived his entire life, Seth Winegar finds an abundance of inspiration. “From the mountains to the Great Salt Lake, Utah has an incredibly wide variety of landscapes,” he says. “I don’t have to go very far to find scenes to paint.” Farmington Bay [page 30], for example, is located just 15 minutes from Winegar’s home.

Winegar, who was born in 1974, has studied art at Utah State University, Logan. His oil landscapes and still lifes demonstrate his interest in juxtaposing light and shadow, warm and cool tones, and detail and abstraction. View Winegar’s paintings at Meyer Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, and Santa Fe, NM.


Featured in “Artists to Watch” December 1998