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Plein Air’s Panorama
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: May 2023
Watercolor is an alchemical medium – colors mixing with water, joining with it, being extended by it – creating new life where none had been before. – Joseph Raffael
From vast landscapes to miniature compositions, everything is an inspiration for Ken Bowser’s watercolors.
Applying water and pigment to textured paper seems simple enough, but it is intriguingly tricky. While oils and acrylics are forgiving in that you can hit the do-over button, watercolor has no undo or re-do. It’s just a stay-do.
Kenneth Bowser, a painter of 65 years, cozies up to that challenge. He loads a brush. Its tip tracks along a teetering edge, stopping for a dip in a pool of pigment. By his hand, each push, every lift leaves a footprint of organic magic.
Glenville, Ken’s home since 1995, provides a plein air paradise for his classic brushwork. The Autumn colors are divine. Mountainscapes, such as Sapphire Valley’s Holly Berry Mountain Lake, inspire scores of interpretations of Mother Nature’s scenery.
Lately, a still life of fruit, vegetables, flowers or life drawing at Studio Alive (at The Bascom) might be the focus of Ken’s day. Working in-house keeps his skills honed and his feet toasty in winter. But now that spring has sprung, he’s feeling Nature’s call to its panorama of plein air splendor.
Savor Ken’s stunning work at the Highlands-Cashiers Art League summer and fall shows.
Visit Tsartistry in Franklin and/or Gallery 1 in downtown Sylva to see his latest creations. Or contact him at [email protected] or (828) 743-9759.
