Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Bower.
Erin, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Growing up as an only child in the suburbs of Katy gave me ample time to develop hobbies such as drawing and painting. It took me until my later years of college to realize that art could actually be a viable and long-term path for my future. There were two major events that happened in my life around that time. My grandfather passed away my junior year of college and to honor his memory I painted his portrait for my grandmother. The quality I was able to achieve in that first portrait surprised even myself. That same year I also began working as a painter with a local Austin mural company. These two events sparked my passion for both murals and portraits and set me on my current path. Since graduating from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design in 2015, I have been working to master those fine art skills and learn the business side of making art professionally.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
As a beginner artist, I had had a tough time focusing on only one medium or subject. I wanted to know how to use every type of paint on any surface, and I was inspired by everything from architecture to pop culture. Because of that variety, my skills and portfolio are extremely diverse. The portraits I have done have been some of the most personally fulfilling projects I’ve worked on. To be able to bring into existence someone’s family member, significant other or even movie character is a skill that I have loved building. These portraits and other smaller paintings that I do are primarily in watercolor.
On the opposite end of the size scale, I have also painted multiple murals around Austin and Houston. A well-known mural can transform a business into a cultural landmark and make that wall a photo destination. One of my personal favorite murals that I’ve done is on East 6th Street in Austin Texas. It features a near photo-realistic rendering of Bob Marley. Along with all this, I’ve had paintings hanging in pop up events and am currently working on a collection of paintings that feature various abandoned places and objects.
Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
From my perspective artists, today still face many of the same issues that they always have but in an increasingly technological environment. Most creative people are driven to produce things because it makes them feel a certain way. But in order to make that art for a living artist still, strive to connect their work with other people. Finding that thing that makes an artist happy and that is still relevant to the rest of the world will forever be the creative person’s challenge. As technology is more and more integrated into people’s everyday lives and their attention spans get shorter, catching someone’s eye and making a meaningful connection only gets more difficult. Other than the Livestock Show and Rodeo art contests there wasn’t much art exposure for me growing up in the suburbs of Katy. Somehow introducing more creative opportunities for people out in those types of suburban areas would go a long way towards getting people away from their screens. Young people today have displayed growing levels of anxiety and depression, and I believe from personal experience that making something with your hands can be a huge confidence booster.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
The majority of my work can be seen on my website erinmbower.com and my social media pages @erinbowerstuff. A few of the public murals that I’ve done can be seen in person at Crux Climbing Gym in south Austin, Lazarus Brewing Company on East 6th Street and Indian Creek apartments in Georgetown. My portrait work is primarily commission based and is proudly on display in client’s homes. I am currently working on commissions and personal art for future exhibitions. Follow my social media accounts for news about upcoming projects and time-lapse videos of new work.
Contact Info:
- Website: erinmbower.com
- Email: erinmbower@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @erinbowerstuff
- Facebook: @erinbowerstuff
Image Credit:
Bob Marley Mural produced along with Showgoat Muralworks
Second Bob Marley process photo taken by Josh Row, Instagram @danglife.
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