LARA BOWEN
The way I create is not a straight line. I work in series, collections, or projects. depending on my mood or what has recently inspired me. Acknowledging these different bodies of work allows me to move between them as they influence each other. My go-to media is painting, but I also use projection and photography in my process, and incorporate other methods such as encaustic and collage.
INSPIRATION
My work explores the tick-tock of existence; time passing, how our memories work, the changes in seasons, and how .life makes us feel. Above all, I am inspired by the joy I find in colour, light, and nature.
Subject matter ranges from cut flowers or travel-based memories to simple colour transitions, boats in harbours and back again.
Objects are abstracted and reduced to simpler forms and colours are intensified as the story is told. Music always plays when I work (female singer-songwriters feature heavily) and influences both the feeling of the paintings and their resulting titles.
ABOUT
I studied at Hastings College of Art and Oxford Brookes University, graduating in 1993. My training was multi-disciplinary and I am comfortable communicating visually across a range of media. Taking a sabbatical as Communications Officer for the Students Union meant adding to my skill set and broadening horizons. After graduating I moved to Cyprus, where I taught art at school level, learned how to use stained glass, and enjoyed four years of life in another culture.
Returning to Brighton & Hove in the late 1990's, I studied Arts Management at Sussex University and set up my gallery. Since 2020 I have worked with emerging and established artists, championing their work alongside developing my own practice. I am a trained mentor and a large part of my work involves guiding emerging artists.
I regularly exhibit across the UK at art fairs and galleries and welcome visitors to my studio and gallery space in Hove.
Visitors are welcome Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays from May to October and by appointment in the colder months.
A selection of my work can be found with the following galleries:
PROCESS
The lockdown years were a big reset, I didn't paint much but other creative concepts were born during that time. When I returned to my studio it felt like I was starting again.
These concepts have fed back into my paintings. My work has the same inspiration as always, but a more abstract approach has developed. These paintings have a different energy. They are bolder, looser, and happier. They're about being in the moment and trying to capture joy.
I feel a new freedom and confidence in my practice. I use different media and application methods. I play more upbeat music. Louder. I dance. I experiment. I enjoy!
