Eric Bowman was born in Pasadena and grew up in Orange County, CA (back when it actually had orange groves). Essentially a self-taught artist, Eric had a knack for drawing as far back as he can remember, always the class artist throughout his elementary and high school years. Various art-related jobs such as silk screen T-shirt printer or surfboard airbrush technician led to a lengthy and successful career as a commercial artist, eventually transitioning to fine art painting. As a painter, Eric has garnered many awards in national & regional exhibitions in some of the country's most prestigious galleries and museums. His paintings are in collections around the world, including England, China, Australia, Canada and Mexico.
Eric Bowman is a Signature Member of several major American Art Associations, including the American Impressionist Society, the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and the California Art Club. When not traveling to various art exhibitions or visiting his beloved home state of California, Eric resides in northwest Oregon with his wife, daughter, and their dog, Mucha.
Select Collections:
Evergreen Aviation Museum; McMinnville, OR
Calgary Stampede; Alberta, Canada
Major League Baseball; New York, NY
National Basketball Association; New York, NY
Historic Diamond Hotel; Chico, CA
United States Postal Service; Arlington, VA
City of Lake Oswego; Lake Oswego, OR
Select Publications:
Art of the West magazine - Feature Article March/April 2017
Plein Air magazine - Feature Article April 2016
Pratique Des Arts (French art publication) - Feature Article May 2015
Southwest Art magazine - "Artist to Watch" Oct 2014
International Artist magazine - Feature Article Nov/Dec 2014
Uncle Jam magazine - Feature Article and Cover Image Winter 2013
American Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview May 2013
American Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview Jan 2013
Southwest Art magazine - "Artistic Excellence Award" Dec 2012
American Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview June 2011
Select Awards:
First Place Award - "Plein Air Salon" Oct/Nov 2016 - Juror: C W Mundy
Second Place Award - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" October 2016 - Juror: Jennifer Diehl
Finalist - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" August 2016 - Juror: Brian Blood
Finalist - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" October 2015 - Juror: Phil Couture
Finalist - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" November 2015 - Juror: Jason Sacran
Best of Show Award - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" January 2015 - Juror: Timothy C Tyler
Finalist - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" November 2014 - Juror: Vincent Xeus
Finalist - "BoldBrush Competition" August 2014 - Juror: Tim Rees
Honorable Mention - Southwest Art magazine "Artistic Excellence" competition 2012
Artist Choice Award - "Sonoma Plein Air" - Oct 2012 - Sonoma, CA
Plein Air Magazine Award - "Sonoma Plein Air" - Oct 2012 - Sonoma, CA
Second Place Award - "Plein Air Easton" - July 2012 - Easton, Maryland - Juror: Tim Newton, Salmagundi Club, NY
Second Place Award (x2) - "Hillsboro Plein Air" July 2010 - Cultural Arts Center; Hillsboro, OR
Purchase Prize Award - "Chronicle Exhibition Invitational" June 2010 - Festival of Arts; Lake Oswego, OR
Third Place Award - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air" 2009 - Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR - Juror: Ned Mueller
Finalist - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" July 2009 - Juror: Josh Elliott
Third Place Award - "San Clemente Plein Air competition" 2008 - SC Art Assoc, San Clemente, CA - Juror: Debra Huse
First Place Award - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air" 2008 - Hood River, OR - Juror: Colleen Schafroth - Director, Maryhill Museum
Second Place Quick Draw Award - "Paint San Clemente Plein Air competition" 2008 - SC Art Assoc, San Clemente, CA
2 Purchase Prize Awards - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2007" - Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR - Juror: Susan Diehl
Honorable Mention - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2006" - Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR - Juror: Susan Diehl
First Place Award - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air" 2005"- Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR - Juror: Kenn Backhaus
Best Oil Award - "Paint the Gorge Plein Air Show" 2005 - Caswell Gallery; Troutdale, OR
People's Choice Award - "Paint the Gorge Plein Air Show"2005 - Caswell Gallery; Troutdale, OR
Select Shows:
"Coors Western Art Exhibition" - 2017, 2016 - Denver, CO
"Chinese & American Outdoor Painting Exhibition 2016" Kaiping Art Museum, Kaiping, China
"American Masters" Exhibition – 2016, 2015, 2014 - Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
"Sonoma Plein Air"– 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 201, 2009 - Sonoma, CA
"Maynard Dixon Country Camp Out" June 2016 - Mount Carmel, Utah
"California Art Club 105th Gold Medal Exhibition" Autry Museum April 2016 - Los Angeles
"Collectors Reserve 2015" Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK
"American Impressionist Society National Exhibition" – 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010
"Plein Air Easton" July 2015, 2013, 2011 - Easton, Maryland
"Laguna Plein Air Painters Assoc. Invitational"- 2013 - Laguna Beach, CA
"Oregon Invitational Plein Air"- Aug 2012 - Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
"Oil Painters of America National Exhibition” – 2012, 2009, 2008
"Salon International" - 2010 - Greenhouse Gallery; Austin, TX
"Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition" - 2009, 2005
Less