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Life in Colour: Nat Bowen
Interview Shemaiah Gold
Nat Bowen began her artistic career as a means of self-expression. Today, she is a well-known abstract artist in the United Kingdom. Her paintings are recognised for being bright and colourful, evoking a sense of calm and meditation. Her art can be seen at worldwide galleries and shows such as the Saatchi Gallery in London, as well as displays in Miami, New York, and other cities. Bowen is best described as vibrant, bold and most importantly colourful. All her art pieces tell a story and something we can often take for granted, has become the essence of her work. From grammar school to fashion to property, we discussed all elements of her life, career and journey up to this point.
Shemaiah: Where did it all begin for you?
Nat: I'm from a family of creatives. It’s within my blood, so as a kid I was constantly creating, painting, drawing, sewing. My grandma would sit and paint with me and she taught me how to sow and use watercolours.
At school, all I wanted to do was art class. I was also interested in music, drama and just the arts in general so from a kid, I don't think it's a surprise that I went into a creative field as an adult. Then I went to a secondary school that was very academic, and then to sixth form at the same school which was when I decided that the academic path wasn't the path I wanted to go down. My parents were design, technology and graphics teachers, and I remember my mum coming home from school with this big UCAS book because I had told her that I wanted to go to University. We sat down and went through it, just looking at different courses and we landed on fashion. It's always been an interest, but it's not something you would learn at school so I made this decision to quit halfway through my A-levels, to do a national diploma in fashion, which was 2 years.
I'm originally from the Midlands, so I studied in Birmingham and they suggested for me to do fashion in London, which is what brought me down to London for University. I studied fashion design at the London College of Fashion which I loved, then I went into designing. I even worked as a buyer at Net-A-Porter very briefly. I was realising that the fashion industry wasn't quite as creative as I thought it would be, or that the jobs that I was in didn’t allow me to be as creative as I wanted to be. I ended up quitting that job and I fell back into modelling for a few years in my 20's, which is something I had picked up on the side in my teens. It gave me some freedom because I was in control of my work as a freelancer, and I had a really good insight into the fashion industry almost from another view.
Even modelling allows you to be creative. You're working with creative teams. It's like a performance - it’s creative expression, but I was near to the end of my 20s and thought “I really want to do something else.” There was a lot of chopping and changing in my life, and I think it was because I was trying to find what it is that I'm really passionate about.
I don't really have that fear that I think a lot of people have - obviously you've got to make money, you've got to survive, but I've always been one of those people that will find a way to make money no matter the circumstance. If i'm not happy doing something, I’m brave enough to say “no, this isn't my path,” I‘ve learnt from that and now I need to change my course.
So after the modelling, I ended up working for a high-end property developer in London and I was the assistant of the CEO of the company. I got a real insight into how the company worked and more into business side, and they were doing these amazing, super prime developments in London - incredible spaces. I used to get the chance to go down on site and see how they were taking these buildings and completely transforming them. They would stage the properties showing how you could live there and they had amazing artwork on the wall.
I was just eager to go back to something creative at the time, especially because my role there was an office job. I could feel that it wasn't who I was supposed to be. I eventually left that company and stumbled into an opportunity through the interior side of the company. I was talking to some connections that I’d made there, and I said “I really need to do something creative. I’m going to start painting and see if I can make this my career.” They happened to have a show apartment that they were looking for artwork for and so that became the first time I'd ever put my art piece on display in a showroom. Some people would say “you're lucky to have the connections,” but when you look back, so much of my career path was was about relationship building. If I didn't have those relationships, I wouldn't have had those opportunities. I'm good at forming bonds with people, so I ended up doing four art pieces for the show apartments and they looked amazing. They were so pleased with them, and that was the starting point for me. They paid me for the pieces, which gave me enough money to set up a business, get a studio and get all my equipment. Then off the back of that, another property developer commissioned some artwork because they saw what I did, and it started to snowball from then.
That was my starting point at the end of 2017. Now, I’m at a point where I can't imagine my life or career any different. Had I not gone through that process of trying different things and having that maturity and experience to know that my age wasn't important, it would've been a lot different, everything happened at the right time.
My fashion background definitely comes through in what I do so on my Instagram, I’m always wearing colourful clothes and even the way that I market my work and brand, there's a fashion angle. My understanding and the layering of colour in my work, I take that back to fashion, I connect fashion and art and I see fashion as an art form; a way to creatively express yourself. So, I know that the experience I had comes through in me as an artist.
Shemaiah: We can see that so clearly in your brand and as I was looking through your Instagram page. I realised that it's almost as if you're redefining colour and you're making it relevant. Colour is everywhere, but whether it's appreciated is another story. Colour is amongst the things that we look at daily, but don't usually pay attention to.
You have a very interesting process of creating your art pieces. For example, using recycled acrylic canvas, which is very unique. What inspired that process and how did you get to that level of experimentation?
Nat: Sustainability is really important to me in all aspects of my practice. I'm always conscious about whether what I’m doing is going to impact the environment. The canvas' are recycled fabrics and all bespoke which is more expensive. The base is 100% recycled plastic, it's 100% recyclable is delivered as a blank white base. I use a non-toxic poxy resin; the white base is important because the poxy resin. I pigment with a transparent pigment, so it's a colour with a transparency to it. For the colours to be vibrant, working on a smooth white base really helps. Can you believe there's only 1 company in the world that produces recycled acrylic sheet?! I've only ever painted with resin. All my artwork is resin and you get this amazing glossy wet look finish. When I started using it with the pigment, I realised it was intensifying the colour.
I sent a picture of these pieces to my friend on Instagram this morning, and she said "it's crazy you would think these paintings are backlit." When I did my exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, everyone was asking if they were lit up, if they were glass, I had questions like "can I touch it?, can I lick it?, is it wet?, does it tase of anything?". They almost looked like hard boiled sweets.
(Grabbing some pieces to show), these are my fragment pieces. There’s more layers on the bigger pieces and there's almost a thickness to the layer because it has a viscosity, in real life, there's a 3D aspect to them.
Resin is the most difficult material to work with. You have to have a very controlled environment, it has to be warm and dust is your enemy, there can't be humidity.
When I first started working with it, it was difficult to get to grips with it. I would spend all day everyday experimenting and whilst I wasn't, I was online reading anything to do with resin. I feel like I’ve got to the place where I’be mastered it. So many artists try to use it even as a top coat and they give up. They don't know how I do it. It's a very slow practice, a large piece would take me weeks, even months to create. I paint a layer, then let it cure, then go back after letting it dry. When I’m painting, a chemical reaction starts to happen so I've got a certain amount of working time before it hardens and have to be 100% in the room and focused with no distractions in that time. However, I like that because I find it very meditative. Usually I’ve got music or a podcast playing and I can be focused for about 10 hours a day. I can see it's become apart of my well-being now, like how people are with exercise; it's become an essential part of my day. I like the fact that it's not a rushed process, it means I'm not producing loads of work every year and I'm not about speeding up in order to produce more work.
My husband always laughs because when we're on holiday, I feel like it's nice to relax but I’m just itching to get back in the studio.
Shemaiah: Is there ever a time when you feel pressured to produce a certain amount of work by a certain time?
Nat: It's a tricky one because sometimes to stay true to myself as an artist, I don't want the pressure of a deadline taking away from my creativity, but I’ve realised it's nice to have something that you're working towards.
Sometimes when I don't have a particular event coming up or commission, and I’m allowed to be completely creative, it's nice to have those periods but sometimes the pressure is good for me because it keeps me focused. I think I produce my best work under pressure, but I've got to keep that balance between my artist head and my business head. I have to protect my energy as well. As much as I want to take up all these opportunities, there's power in saying no and pushing back on things. I'm only one person. I don't have people in the back painting these for me, so I have to manage people's expectations. If you try to rush me with the artwork, then you won't get the best out of me.
Shemaiah: What message are you trying to push through your artwork, through your brand and career?
Nat: My work is all about chromology which is the psychology of colour. I use colours as a way to communicate feelings, emotions and in saying that, the viewer may have their own take on the artwork. Colours can mean different things to different people based on their experiences and conceptions and culture. Even the way people see colour can be different; one of my collectors is colour blind so he's seeing the artwork in a completely different way, which is interesting. I’m using colour as a way to express these feelings, but I think you can see that they're very positive pieces. Many who come across my work, speak about how good and energised it makes them feel. I try to encourage people to stand in front of them for a few minutes, especially the big pieces because you're hit with them. You're almost drowning in the colour, which can have a positive impact on you, they can consume you. Colour is essentially light and we all know the benefits of sunlight on our well being - especially in the UK where it always seems to be grey and gloomy with the weather. Everything can seem dark and grey. People in the UK can be a bit fearful about adding colour into their lives I think.
I've got some pieces that are painted with black. A lot of people see black as a negative depressing colour but it's really not, I see it as powerful and strong.
Shemaiah: You've used colour to the place where colour has almost become who you are, what is the story behind your use of colour?
Nat: You can't really pinpoint it. My mum has always said that i'm gifted in the way that I can put colour together. My understanding and composition of it which has always been there, came out when I started doing fashion in the way I put pieces together. Also, I travelled a lot in my 20's and I started noticing how the light in different places makes colours look different. I went to Marrakech and The Majorelle Gardens which is Yves Saint-Laurent's house and was blown away by the big yellow pots and green vegetation. I remember thinking ‘wow, this blue is so intense,’ - there was a crazy blue and because you had this sunlight bouncing off of it, it was smacking you in the face. The colours and the light in the South of France in comparison to the colour in the alps and mountains, is also something that interested me because we would travel there every year. Colours look different based on where you are. I have also been to South America, Brazil, Argentina, I think I was subconsciously taking those places in and whilst painting I'm referencing some of these places.
I love observing unique colour combinations, sometimes I look back at places that I’ve been to, then at paintings that I’ve done and realised that 'oh, that's where the inspiration has come from.'
Shemaiah: Often art in comparison to other industries is sidelined and not seen as important. Why do you think art plays an essential role in today's society?
Nat: Oh gosh, That's a big question. It is so essential, it can be so overlooked. You won't believe the amount of people that ask me if I sell my work and if I make money from it. You wouldn't ask a doctor if he makes money, but they assume that artists are these poor struggling people and I find it really strange. If you think about so many aspects of life, there's so many things that people take for granted that has had a creative mind behind it. It is overlooked, I don't know why people don't take it that seriously as a career.
I went to an all-girls grammar school and it was good in so many ways, but was quite old school so the arts were completely overlooked. I think it's changing now. I was having a conversation with my mum who's a retired teacher now and she was saying it's so important to recognise the students that have those creative skills and really give them the faith that they can find the career path in that. I've got lots of followers on Instagram that are artists, who are less established and just starting out. They send me messages saying I really inspire them because I’m self represented, I don't own a gallery, I work with galleries, but all the branding marketing, social media, online shops - down to my business cards, people always comment on because they're like little art pieces in themselves. We're so fortunate as creatives to live in the age that we do where we have technology and media. We can use the tools to represent ourselves, using free platforms like Instagram and a website can be built relatively cheap. It is tough and takes time to get where I’m at now, but if it's really what you want to do and you believe in yourself, go for it.
Shemaiah: What advice would you give to an aspiring artist trying to break into the art world right now?
Nat: I'd say, find your own style. I can see some artists trying to follow what's trendy and big on Instagram but it's always best to stay true to yourself as an artist. Experiment with different mediums and processes to find out what resonates with you but once you find that thing, develop on it. I was guilty of trying different things and going down different avenues in the beginning, but really you've got to strip it back and focus on 'what is the message I am trying to say here?' For me, I need some consistency in my work to communicate what I’m trying to say.
I think now, if you see one of my artworks you would know it's mine, and so I think it's important to experiment but sometimes, you can play with an idea, experiment and then know that it's not the path you should go down.
Try and find what resonates with you, develop on it and master it and like I said previously, if you want to become a professional artist, you have to think about the bigger picture. It's not just purely about the artwork. Think about everything you're trying to put out there so even the way that I photograph my work, the branding, all of that is as important as the work you're creating.
Just have belief in yourself! It's so easy for people to question your journey, but you've really got to dig deep within yourself. Even now, I still have doubts and a constant imposter syndrome that questions who I am and have become as an artist, but everybody has that. Even the superstars at the top will have moments of doubt, so don't be too hard on yourself, just keep believing and keep moving forward.
Shemaiah: Do you have a favourite art collection or piece and why?
Nat: Oooo. That's so funny because I was talking to my husband about this. There’s a few and it changes. There's a piece here, it's called Summer 76 and I painted it, inspired by when my parents got married in the summer of 76. It was a really hot summer that everyone of their generation remembers. My mum was 19 when she got married, so they've been together for 45 years. They had this gorgeous simple wedding. My mum wore wedges, had long dark hair - a very 70's look, and my dad was in a brown flared suit. I've still got the square polaroid pictures of it, which I was going through before I started painting. Pictures from the 70's on polaroid almost look like you've got a filter over them. They’ve got that kind of orange haze vintage feel. As I was looking through them, I felt something for that era; the heat and love and I painted using oranges, pinks and reds. That painting is very special to me, it's not ever leaving my side.
There's so many! Love bubble was another one that recently got sold and is going to the Bahamas.
I'm happy to see my paintings go off into the world, but sometimes it's difficult to let go because you feel such an attachment towards them but I’m always okay with it. It's important for me to let paintings move on, because it frees up creative space in my mind.
