Meet Steph Van Doren | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steph Van Doren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steph, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I have wanted to be an artist my entire life, but I spent years following an upwardly mobile corporate path with little time to be creative. A life-altering event in my 30’s caused me to reevaluate what was important to me. I left the corporate world permanently to become an artist. I went back to school, studied art and created a lucrative art studio. While I have worked odd jobs on the way to achieving this goal, I have never been happier or more content.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I always wanted to be a professional artist, but I had no professional art training. After graduating with a BFA from Drake (Des Moines, IA) in 1999, I opened my art studio for business knowing that it would be financially difficult in the beginning. Working odd jobs to support my two young children, I was able to create my art. If you are doing what you are passionate about, the challenges are easier to overcome. I developed a strong network of other artists, and I played a role in creation of the burgeoning art movement in Des Moines and was a founding member of several artist groups in the community. After several years, I began to look to the future and other challenges. This led me to Peoria, IL. Upon completing my MFA at Bradley, in 2009, I opened a studio in the Peoria Warehouse District and was involved with CIAO and other Peoria-based artist groups, including co-founding the Third Thursday Art Group in 2018. I recently moved to Katy, TX and hope to build the same network here.

I consider myself a social neo-abstractionist. I also consider myself an environmentalist. In the past I created work that commented on contemporary issues that plague nature and speculated possible solutions to the problem. While my fundamental beliefs haven’t changed, I found myself tired of dwelling on the negative.

In my work I don’t attempt to solve or mitigate environmental issues. My aim is to emphasize the forgotten beauty of nature and identify my place in it. I explore my own habitat and shoot photos of the landscape. I select specific aspects from each image, deconstructing nature, to create a pseudo-realistic view. Although I consider the photos a finished product, I love the feel of brush and paint on canvas. So, each painting is a reflection of that love, and nature is further reduced to the bare essentials of line, color, shape and light, independent of visual reference to the real.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am new to the area, so I feel like I am the ‘best friend’ in this scenario. Places I have discovered/explored since coming to the Houston area: Backstreet Cafe in Houston and Pearl and Vine in Katy for their amazing food and cool atmospheres.

The Menil and The Silos for immersing yourself in art and being inspired.
Just driving around some of the older neighborhoods in Houston – cool architecture and trees.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family for their understanding and support when I made my decision to change paths. (They got the why!)

Ignatius Widiapradja, Emeritus Professor of Art at Drake University – was my first Art Professor. He gave me the tools and the courage to be a fine art painter.

Website: www.stephvandoren.com

Instagram: steph_vandoren_art

Facebook: Steph Van Doren Art