Morgan Weistling
Teamwork
Morgan Weistling was amazed at the response he got to his first try at fine-art painting. People noticed his soft edges and color values—even his influences. “Such things aren’t appreciated in illustration,” says Weistling, who spent 14 years in the field. Though the California resident was trained in fine art, he’d always imagined that the life of an artist was that of a starving artist. But upon befriending Dan Gerhartz, Weistling realized he could make a living at it. He began painting in the loose, painterly style of Joaquin Sorolla and John Singer Sargent. That was a year ago; today his works can be seen at Trailside Galleries, Jackson, WY, and Scottsdale, AZ. —LB
Denis Milhomme
Sonoran Sanctuary
More than a decade ago, California artist Denis Mil-homme visited Death Valley and was awed by the desert landscape. Since then he has concentrated his palette on such panoramic desert scenes. “In the desert, you can see for 50 miles; it fascinates me to be able to see the changes in color,” says the artist. Although Milhomme lives on the edge of the lush green Sequoia National Park in the small town of Three Rivers, he returns regularly for inspiration to Death Valley and other favorite desert destinations. Milhomme’s work can be found at Howard/Mandville Galleries in Kirkland and Edmonds, WA, and the Favell Museum of Western Art and Indian Artifacts in Oregon. —BG
Nancy Bush
Spring Snow
Native Texan Nancy Bush learned to love art at a young age. Her grandmother’s home was full of paintings, most by her great-uncle Ralph Rowntree, who occasionally allowed her to watch as he painted portraits. Later she came to appreciate the work of George Inness and John Henry Twachtman. Today she studies with well-known painters Scott Christensen and Michael Workman.
Bush paints a variety of subjects, but the landscape has become her favorite. “Every landscape is a new challenge, both spiritually and emotionally,” she says. “Nothing can imitate nature, but I hope my paintings convey a single quiet moment of reflection.” Her work is represented by Ann Hughes Fine Art, Dallas, TX; Whistle Pik Galleries, Fredericksburg, TX; El Presidio Gallery, Tucson, AZ; Edmund Craig Gallery, Fort Worth, TX; and Studio W, El Paso, TX.
Heidi Pollard
Poem + Word (uvula)
Heidi Pollard began her artistic career sculpting representational animals and figures but eventually switched to painting—and to a nonobjective style. In her series Poem + Word, she incorporates words such as finger or uvula into her compositions, describing the words as visual objects that are devoid of a particular connotation. The viewer, then, is invited to contemplate their own interpretations, she says. Pollard lives in New Mexico and is represented by Dartmouth Street Gallery, Albuquerque, NM, and Whelan Gallery, Santa Fe, NM.
Featured in “Artists to Watch” January 1999