WILD HEARTS GALLERY
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DOROTHY BUNNY BOWEN       
www.db-bowen.com            
505-867-2731

 

Bowen grew up in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Originally an oil painter, she earned a B.A. in Art from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Virginia and studied printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, as well as lithography at the University of New Mexico.

She holds an M.A. in Art History from UNM, writing her thesis on Navajo Pictorial Weaving. She was a research associate in Spanish Colonial Textiles at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe. After ten years with MOIFA, a major exhibition was mounted and several articles by the artist were published in the catalogue, THE SPANISH TEXTILE TRADITION OF NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO.

In 1974 she and husband Leland bought land in Placitas, moving here with two young children in 1975. She continued to work as a painter but concentrated more on wood carving.

In 1980, Bowen was introduced to batik by Australian Jeffery Service at the Placitas Elementary School. She has been working professionally in wax resist ever since, and has exhibited her work around the US in numerous juried shows with awards.

Serving as registrar for the World Batik Conference in Boston in 2005, Bowen connected with other batik artists around the world. She has studied with master teachers in Japan, Bali, and Malaysia, where she was twice invited to speak at the Kuala Lumpur International Batik Convention.

Bowen recently reconnected with her early training in painting and now works also in the media of acrylics, ceramics, watercolor, and cold wax and oil. Her early love of wood carving has evolved into the fashioning of hangers from her junipers for some of her wax resist silk hangings and a new line of "Memory Keepers" - a combination of ceramics and polished wood.

She continues to be involved with the art community of Placitas, serving on the board of the Placitas Studio Tour and the Placitas Holiday Sale. She is also a graphic designer who specializes in websites and is a founding member of Wild Hearts Gallery.

"I began as a painter and art historian. In 1980 I discovered batik, after working as a textile research associate at the Museum of International Folk. Batik combined my love for textiles with my training as a painter. Now I’ve come full circle back to painting and wood media.

 Credo: I believe we should live lightly on this earth in absolute awe of its magnificence."
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Bunny has presentations explaining her processes. View them for an even deeper appreciation of her art.
Rozome: a short demo on video
Batik on cotton
Using soy wax as an alternative
There are many traditions throughout Asia and North America which credit Raven with bringing light to a dark world. The details vary: in some tales, he brings the stars and moon as well. The frame is red alder, saved from when I carved our front door in 1975
The body is a scrap of pine given by a friend. The head, a juniper root from our land. The small twisted wood is rosemary, from my garden. The base, red alder scrap from the door I carved in 1975. This combination of materials is appropriate, as the heron was seen by the Celts as a shapeshifter. Heron is a symbol of stillness, patience, and deep meditation.
This piece was inspired by a trip to Scotland, where I was charmed by the residents of the penguin exhibit. As the planet warms, penguins are threatened by loss of habitat. Hence the question, Who do we care to save?
Featured in SILKWORM, Vol 27, Issue 1, Spring 2020
On the banks of the Kamogawa River, on a visit to Kyoto during cherry blossom season, I followed this poor bird around with my camera. Lovely memory.
This is my homage to Konstantin Dimopoulos, 
who since 2011 has been organizing installations
in communities around the globe. 
His “Blue Trees Project” engages locals 
to coat tree trunks with a biodegradable 
cobalt blue pigment. Harmless to living trees, 
the paint is intended to evoke 
an awareness of the environmental “ecocide” 
of the world’s forests. 
I saw his blue aspen in Breckenridge, CO, in 2015.
In Germanic and Norse mythology, Odin received news of happenings around the world from each of two ravens, Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Mind, or Memory). Thoughtis seen as action, while Mind symbolizes meditation, bringing insight and deep vision.
Inspired by my screen shots from a live camera located at the Churchill Northern Studies Center in Manitoba.
I’ve always dreamed of seeing the Aurora in person.
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221-B State Highway 165, Placitas, New Mexico, USA 87043

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Hours

Tue-Fri 10 am-4 pm
Sat-Sun 10 am-2 pm
and by appointment

Telephone

505-361-2710

Email

[email protected]
  • Home
    • Bunny Bowen
    • Alan Charlee
    • Lisa Chernoff
    • Jon and Nancy Couch
    • Roger Evans
    • Joan Fenicle
    • Colleen Zacharias Gregoire
    • Karl and Mary Hofmann
    • David Johnson
    • Sandy Johnson
    • Marce Rackstraw
    • Laura Robbins
    • Judith Roderick
    • Dana Patterson Roth
    • Geri Verble
  • Virtual Tour
  • Featured Artists
  • Contact
  • Join Us
  • Members