Random thoughts and bits of life of a coffee loving artist

Monday, February 4, 2013

A common influence... maybe: Jonathon Earl Bowser


While pondering over a cup of steaming coffee about the various artists whom I've already spotlighted, I found my mind drifting back as the fragrant steam filled the air to artists that I had discovered back in my high school years. I couldn't help but wonder if anyone else would know about some of the artists that always gave me inspiration. Of course I had to remind myself that there are probably plenty who have never heard of the people I've followed. One artist who I figure there was a 50/50 chance that people would know him was Jonathon Earl Bowser.

Jonathon Earl Bowser, a Canadian artist who graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 1984. His intricate paintings of the Rocky Mountains are what first brought him notice, the pieces in various government and corporate collections in Canada, North America and Europe. Soon his work was also sought after in China and Taiwan. It was soon after that he moved from landscapes to “exploring the mythological dimension of the spirit”. Though his work is now found world wide, his website states the following:

His work has also appeared in and on many books - including, most famously, the cover of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s allegorical novel about the invasion of Kuwait, Zabibah and the King. When asked in a New York Times interview about Saddam’s unauthorized usage of his painting The Awakening, Jonathon said: “Strange…that the ruthless despot should admire the work of a painter of peaceful mysterious women…”

On his website, there is an entire page explaining the situation titled The Artist and the Dictator which in itself is a fascinating read which I highly recommend.

Wandering through the various galleries on deviantART, I carefully picked 5 artists whom I thought that perhaps may have been influenced by Mr. Bowser in some way and asked my question of:

"With your beautiful pieces and attention to detail, I was wondering if the artist Jonathon Earl Bowser was one of your sources of inspiration."

"Pulse" by escume
A young digital artist from the United States, Anna Dittmann's gallery is filled with delicate images of the female form. With a soft color pallet giving an ethereal air to each piece, her style draws the viewer in to look at the amount of details that she includes. This is especially true with her piece Guardian (July 2011). It does appear that she tries to balance her use of warm pinks and sunny yellows with cool and moody blues and purples.

"Hi, I've never seen his work before, but he has some beautiful pieces. Thanks for helping me discover such a talented artist" ~Anna


"Guardian of Ancient Secrets" by Zolaida & Viccolatte
A digital artist living in the Netherlands, Lisa has a lovely array of moody fantasy based pieces. Even though she does have several pieces where they're in black and white, such as Voices (January 2012), they are not dark as in gruesome but more along the lines of emotionally engaging. She does have several pieces on display which were commissioned by customers along with collaborations with other artists such as Guardian of Ancient Secrets (September 2012) which she had done with the shared efforts of Swedish digital artist Viktoria who's gallery is Viccolatte.deviantart.com .

"Hi Drawn Star Wood, I actually don't know that artist, but I want to thank you for introducing him to me because his works are just beautiful. Thank you so much for the compliment!" ~ Lisa



Traditional artist Jia Lu of the United States creates beautiful and awe inspiring large scale pieces done in oil on canvas. With a mix of spiritual symbolism, warm rich colors, and beautiful powerful women, her paintings such as Mandala and Lotus Bodhisattva have a relaxing quality about them. She states in her bio:

"Illuminated 2" by Jia Lu
“The women I paint represent stages along a path to a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. Their physical beauty and the opulence of the fabrics and jewelry they wear are symbols of their spiritual accomplishments, of their inner strength, of their pride and confidence. I am convinced that my own mission is to share that understanding, and I have spent most of my life working in the classical tradition of narrative, realistic art. I am influenced by Asian philosophy, but also draw from contemporary design, international film and theater for inspiration. “

Website: www.jialu.com

"Thanks for your question, Dawn Star. I've never seen the work of Jonathon Earl Bowser before. My inspiration comes from visiting museums and temples, and from reading. I get technical inspiration from the work of John Singer Sargent, color inspiration from the French impressionists and post-impressionists." ~ Jia Lu



Unfortunately the remaining 2 artists have yet had a chance to get a hold of me, perhaps due to their current work schedule and also there is the language barrier to consider. So I present them to you and leave it up to you as to if they were influenced by Jonathon Earl Bowser or not.


"Bright" by satiiva
With a gallery filled with experimental concepts from her imagination, Russian digital artist Danya has a wonderful collection of pieces which shows both original character designs and strange creatures with unearthly origins like her piece titled Mother. Though there is the language barrier, her work speaks volumes and draws the viewer in making you want to creat stories for each piece.

"Princess iiii" by MichaelCTY

An artist located in Hong Kong, Michael Chang Ting Yu focuses mostly in digital works and has a beautiful line up of character concepts. His bio states:

“An artist who is focusing on 2D concept art & design. With legion of experience in creative industry, has participated many overseas shipping game titles for major video console game platforms such as 《Ninja Blade》, 《Demon’s Souls》, 《Dark Souls》 & etc. Also published comics through working with US DC Comics & participated in animation movie projects.”

No comments:

Post a Comment