Emerging Artists | Mosher, Jacobsen, De Nicola

Shelling on Sanibel by Anita Mosher. painting, southwest art.
Shelling on Sanibel by Anita Mosher

By Brenda Tavakoli


Anita Mosher

Painting takes Anita Mosher to a place of joy and comfort. Both her mother and grandmother painted, and Mosher spent many hours in their “happy, relaxed presence” as she grew up in Kansas City, KS. “Art appreciation was a great gift given to me by my mother and grandmother,” she says. She keeps the gift alive by encouraging her twin daughters’ artistic leanings even as she hones her own talent.

Mosher was a nurse for seven years and spent 10 more in pharmaceutical sales before taking time off when the twins were born. The girls’ birth was a turning point, prompting her to consider painting full time.

Now, “creativity is no problem,” Mosher says. “My problem is time. When I get a chance, I go paint. I don’t think about whether or not I’m in the mood.” Mosher works in oils and uses color to convey emotion in her painterly still lifes, beach scenes, landscapes, and portraits of farm animals. “To me, color is drama. It evokes memories and feelings in me,” she says.

Painting provides her with a constant challenge and satisfaction. “I love the feeling I get when I think the vision in my head comes close to what I get on canvas,” she says. “I feel really blessed to have people want to buy my work. I can give them the joy I got from painting it.” Mosher is represented by Heritage Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ; Gallery Alexander, Vail, CO; Columbine Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, and Loveland, CO; Generations Gallery, Yountville, CA; and Jayne Gallery, Kansas City, MO.

Winter Landscape by Eric Jacobsen. painting, southwest art.
Winter Landscape by Eric Jacobsen

Eric Jacobsen

Landscape painter Eric Jacobsen says the variety of Oregon’s landscape—from snow-capped mountains to high desert—keeps his creative spark alive. “It’s a challenge to capture and interpret the beauty that’s in front of me,” Jacobsen says. “There’s so much beauty out there, and I don’t think any painter ever feels he or she has captured it all.”

Plein-air painting comes naturally to Jacobsen. During his boyhood in Easton, MA, he spent many happy hours outdoors, hiking and sketching on his parents’ farm. He continued to draw while he earned a history degree. The yearning to create stayed with him, and he eventually attended the Lyme Academy to improve his painting skills.

When painting, Jacobsen looks for strong compositions in nature. He edits out extraneous details to give the paintings maximum impact. As he explains, “It’s most important to me that my paintings convey a certain mood. I want them to be felt by the viewer without his or her having to analyze or think about them.” Jacobsen is represented by Yoshida’s Fine Art Gallery, Troutdale, OR; Mockingbird Gallery, Bend, OR; Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT; G.C. Lucas Gallery, Indianapolis, IN; and Sovereign Collection, Portland, OR.

Song of the Cedars by Issa De Nicola. painting, southwest art.

Song of the Cedars by Issa De Nicola

Issa De Nicola

For Issa De Nicola, painting is an integral part of a larger spiritual journey. That journey took him to the desert, where he spent 10 years wandering, camping, and practicing yoga and meditation. His nomadic lifestyle gave him ample time to discover how to paint without the benefit of outside instruction. “I wanted to see what my art would be like without a lot of outside influence so I could get a more pure outcome,” he explains. “I think for an artist that is a struggle because there are so many things that can throw you off.”

Today De Nicola is influenced by the connection he feels with his New Mexico environment. Of the vibrant colors that dominate his large acrylic paintings, he says, “There’s a really close link between color and emotion. I find that when there’s a certain balance and harmony achieved in the color of the painting, that’s when it’s done.” De Nicola is represented by Azurite Gallery, Silver City, NM.


Featured in “Artists to Watch” September 2001