Artists to Watch
Bonnie Gangelhoff
Our Picks for Today's Rising Stars: Jason Dowd, Cydney Springer, and Terry Miura
 AUTUMN SHRINE |
Ancient porcelain horses and Tiffany lamps are among Jason Dowd’s favorite things to paint. “I like objects that connect me to the past—timeless, universal things,” Dowd says. To create still-life works and florals, the Southern California artist frequently builds miniature stages in his studio—platforms where he can play with the lighting for each of his classically inspired tableaux.
Dowd’s painting AUTUMN SHRINE won Southwest Art’s award for excellence at the Western Regional Oil Painters of America Miniatures Show held last year. When he isn’t painting in his studio, he is teaching classes at the Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna Beach, CA. Dowd’s works are on view this month in a group show at John Pence Gallery in San Francisco, CA. He also is represented by Waterhouse Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA; Altermann Galleries, Santa Fe, NM; and Kodner Gallery, St. Louis, MO.
 EVENING AT OXBOW |
When Cydney Springer was growing up in Louisiana, her family made regular trips to Colorado where she commenced a long-term love affair with the Rocky Mountains. Springer eventually moved to the scenic mountain state and pursued a career as a graphic designer. Four years ago, she took a class with painter Jake Gaedtke and today, she is a full-time fine artist.
Always a backpacker and hiker, it comes as no surprise that Springer is attracted to landscape painting. She lives in the town of Estes Park at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, where she is surrounded by spectacular views. “It’s just so beautiful here every day. I don’t ever get tired of it. And I try to paint something that someone else isn’t going to get tired of,” she says.
Springer’s works are on view at the annual Colorado Governor’s Invitational Art Show and Sale held in April at the Loveland Museum/Gallery in Loveland, CO. She is represented by Paint Horse Gallery, Breckenridge, CO; Elk Horn Fine Art Gallery, Winter Park, CO; and Loch Vale Fine Art, Estes Park, CO.
 A THOUSAND MILES TO GO |
When painter Terry Miura lived in Berkeley, CA, he was fond of capturing the urban scene—the architectural forms and street views that comprise city life. About five years ago, Miura moved to Fair Oaks, CA, a small town within walking distance of a pristine river and about an hour from Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. That’s when his art began to move in a new direction. “Once outside the city and near rivers, hills, and mountains, it seemed increasingly like a disconnect for me to paint the city instead of what was around me,” he says.
Miura’s current tonalist landscapes capture the snowy mountaintops and flat farmlands that are part of his everyday environment. “I like to keep things simple,” he says. “When I try to do brighter colors, I tend to look like I am trying to capture a moment in time. I would rather express an idea, mood, or emotion.”
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