Maren Stubenvoll, 28 MONTANA
Style & Inspirations: My contemporary Western art blends impressionism, surrealism and pattern work, often inspired by the creatures and cowgirls of the Rocky Mountain West. My pieces often feature singular subjects set amongst surrealist landscapes, skewing perspectives and scale to create a colorful world that feels familiar to the Western genre and entirely otherworldly.
Art Education: I have been a lifelong, mostly self-taught artist. Art was always my favorite subject as a school child, and I attended one year of college art school in Oregon but ultimately developed my style through a lifetime of observation and practice (and a good dose of YouTube).
Best Art Advice Received: The best way to make great art is to make A LOT of bad art first. Let go of the breaks, get out of your head and simply create constantly, and the good and even great art will emerge.
Favorite Studio Music: I will forever be entranced by anything Bon Iver creates. All the textures, layers of instruments and poetry in the lyrics feels like the sonic world I want to re-create through my art.
Favorite Work by Another Artist: I have a piece in my home that I purchased from a local market in Bozeman, Montana, by Shan Graf. It’s of a young girl in a bright orange sweater staring into a mirror off the canvas [and] cutting her white hair short.
Artistic Goals: My goal for my art is to continue to create original work that people adore and put into their homes to become family heirlooms. When I’m long gone, I hope that someone’s great-great-granddaughter sees one of my pieces and feels the same joy I felt when I created it decades before.
Other Passions: My passion for my art and for adventuring [trail running, biking, photographing] in the landscape around me truly feels inseparable—two different creative expressions drawn from the same well of inspiration.
Contact Info: stubecreative.comRepresentation: LeeAnn Ramsy, Art Gallery, Bozeman, MT.Price Range: $250-$10,000
Included in “21 Under 31 | Young Artists to Watch, 2026” from the August/September 2026 issue.
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