
Anthony Bowes is an award winning representational artist from Chesterfield, Virginia. Born in 1999, he grew up with a healthy appreciation for the outdoors; spending a great deal of his childhood in the woods and creeks of his neighborhood. He took an interest in drawing from a young age and started to learn from his grandmother who was an art professor at Liberty University. Bowes attributes much of his love for painting to the influence and support of his late grandmother. He would later go on to say, “She became my first and most influential teacher. She would always encourage me, and saw potential in me that I couldn’t see in myself.”
Bowes began to take his artistic ability much more seriously in 2017, after donating a portrait painting of a fallen state trooper to the officers family. “Their reaction to my painting, changed my life forever,” he said. “It was this painting, and how I saw it effect a family in such a positive way, that led me to truly believe in myself and my art.” This experience shortly followed by his first solo art exhibit, began the official start of Bowes’ art career at the age of 17.
Bowes’ subject matter is predominantly landscapes with the exception of occasional portrait commissions. He works mainly in Oil paints, but enjoys experimenting in Gouache and Charcoal. His work varies in size ranging from a few square inches to 4x5 foot paintings.
Bowes’ personal inspirations come largely from the Blue Ridge Mountains. He says that, “their timeless beauty and constant change of light and atmosphere is like watching a grand drama unfold.” He says, “ I try to capture the very essence of these qualities while drawing attention to the beauty of God’s creation.”
Awards and Distinctions:
"Best Artist Under 30," Plein Air Salon, October 2020
2nd Place Oil Painting, 31st Annual Art Show Moneta, Virginia 2020
"Peoples Choice Award & Honorable Mention," Harford Plein Air 2021
Raised $5,700 for Various Non-Profit Organizations Local to Richmond VA Over the Course of 2021-2022
"21 Under 31," Featured Artist in Southwest Art Magazine 2021
Sold Out during En Plein Air Texas 2021,
Participating Artist in EPAT 2022
Participating Artist In Door County Plein Air 2022
Exhibitions:
Solo Exhibition, the Glass House, Lynchburg VA 2017
"Size Doesn't Matter," Virtual Exhibition, Glave Kocen Gallery 2021
"40 Under 40," Shenandoah Valley Art Center 2021
"Solitary Landscape" Solo Exhibition, Lynchburg Academy Center of the Arts 2021
31st, 32nd and 33rd Annual Art Show Moneta, Virginia 2020, 2021, 2022
"Majesty of the Blue Ridge" Solo Exhibition at the Academy Center of the Arts, Lynchburg, VA January 2025
Gallery Representation:
Findings Art Store, Lynchburg, Virginia
Blowing Rock Frameworks and Gallery, Blowing Rock, North Carolina