Bowser, Jonathon Earl

Canadian artist Jonathon Earl Bowser has established a presence in the international art marketplace. After graduating from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 1984, he went directly into a brief career in commercial art. Since 1989 however, he has dedicated himself to fine art and his own creative vision – in the rocky landscapes of his childhood home and in unique figurative images that explore the mythological dimensions of human experience. Jonathon’s intricate paintings are not only in government and corporate collections in Canada, but also in many private collections across North America and Europe. Some even hang in the government collections of China and Taiwan. His extensive website was launched in January 1996 and now contains hundreds of images, essays, and a growing number of videos; JonathonArt.com consistently receives almost one thousand visitors a day and has provided artwork for many tens of thousands of websites.

Since childhood, Jonathon has been inspired by the endlessly fascinating beauty and mystery of the natural world. He strives, in his landscapes, to re-acquaint the public with the grandeur of familiar places or introduce them to the spectacular vistas of the more remote mountain wilderness known only to the hikers and backpackers. In his figurative work, Jonathon takes his explorations a step further, developing what he describes as Mythic Naturalism: “From shadowy forest cathedrals and misty mountain fortresses to the unknown depths of the celestial ocean, I am always looking for the unseen Poetry of Nature - the intention of the world - incarnate in my work as serenely still and inscrutably silent Goddesses.”

Jonathon has many creative passions. He has written and published a book, The LotusMaiden – An Artist’s Search for the Secret of the Sky Goddess, that contemplates many important yet rarely discussed aspects of art and life through 296 thoroughly illustrated pages. He is also a musician and has composed and recorded lavishly orchestral soundtracks for his ongoing series of art videos; these short musical vignettes, which slowly meander through Jonathon’s work in great visual detail, are a new and exciting way to pursue (and sometimes find) the elusive philosophy of his work.

Jonathon’s art is seen around the world on magazines, puzzles, card decks, t-shirts, cross-stitch patterns, greeting cards, collectible plates, calendars, CD covers, and limited and open edition prints that have sold across six continents. His work has also appeared in and on many books - including, most famously, the cover of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s allegorical novel about the invasion of Kuwait, Zabibah and the King. When asked in a New York Times interview about Saddam’s unauthorized usage of his painting The Awakening, Jonathon said: “Strange…that the ruthless despot should admire the work of a painter of peaceful mysterious women…”