A.LONDON X BRITISH CONTEMPORARY ARTIST,
NAT BOWEN_
COLLABORATIONS October 2020
With her recent series ‘Chromology’ being showcased at the Saatchi Gallery, Nat Bowen, is renowned for her innovative pieces of art. When creating luxury interior designs for the imagined home owner, our team at A.LONDON always incorporate artwork into their award-winning interiors. You may have recently seen Nat Bowen’s, ‘Big Smoke’ in our recently completely luxury show home, The W1 Townhouse, by property developers The W-One London. We caught up with Nat to discuss her unique artwork further and her journey to becoming the successful contemporary artist she is today. Whilst always looking for innovative techniques to become a more sustainable company, we also discuss the conscious approach she takes in her work.
Can you tell us about yourself and what you do?
I am an abstract resin artist painting large scale, colourful artworks from my studio in Notting Hill. I use the study of Chromology, the psychology behind colour, as the foundation of my art and use this as a way to communicate nonverbally through colour.
“The fluid layers of green tones are perfectly juxtaposed against the angular white space, as if it was purposely commissioned for that exact place [in The W1 Townhouse].”
– Nat Bowen
British Contemporary Artist
Tell us about your journey on becoming a successful artist?
My background is in fashion design. I moved to London from the Midlands to study at the London College of Fashion and worked in the fashion industry after graduating. My understanding of layering colours and different textures comes from the days where I would drape fabrics and layer garments to create an overall look. The transition into the art world seemed a very natural one for me.
Social media and the internet has played a big part in my success. Instagram is not only a great way to showcase visuals but also to reach new people too. Taking part in Q&A’s with industry experts is a brilliant way to do this, I recently sat down with Accouter Group of Companies. With visual platforms such as Instagram, I am able to reach people instantly all over the world and I would say the majority of my international collectors came across my work online. As many art events and exhibitions have been cancelled this year due to the pandemic, it is vital that the art industry and artists adapt and look to virtual ways to show art.
Why was the ‘Big Smoke’ from your Chromology series selected for The W1 Townhouse?
Along with the designers at A.LONDON, we selected ‘Big Smoke’ from my Chromology series, to take centre stage within the grand open space of the dining area at The W1 Townhouse, luxury show home. Conversational and unique, the sustainable resin composition sits effortlessly by bespoke furnishings within the architecturally designed climbing walls. The fluid layers of green tones are perfectly juxtaposed against the angular white space, as if it was purposely commissioned for that exact place.
What made you choose the medium ‘resin’?
My work is all about colour and resin brings colours to life in a way no other medium does. I was drawn in by the high lustre finish that captures the light and makes the paintings look illuminated. People often ask if they can touch the artworks as they are so mesmerised by the shiny surface. I paint in layers of resin and the viscosity of the resin gives a three-dimensional quality to my paintings.
How does your day to day life inspire you?
Colour is all around us and I am constantly taking it in. I can be inspired by anything, even something as mundane as a street sign. I also observe how colours relate and interact with each other. A colour can be transformed by placing it next to another colour. Autumn is a magical season when all the hues start to change and the sunlight being lower in the sky gives a golden filter to everything – I love the warmth of the colours at this time of year. I also look a lot at water – lakes, rivers, the sea – and the way colours are reflected off the rippling surface. Resin has the feel of water and the high gloss finish makes my paintings look as though they are still wet.
How do you take a sustainable approach in your work?
As a self-taught artist working independently from my artist studio in London, I know that I am solely responsible for the decisions made within my practise. I consider it vital that I consider the social and ecological impact of my decisions.
As well as creating something that will last, I must factor what material I paint on as this makes up a large proportion of my work. I work with a non-toxic resin as my medium and having experimented with painting on different substrates, I found acrylic sheets gave me the smooth, even base and non-porous surface I was after. Whilst the acrylic was functional, I knew it was a material that had a negative impact on the environment, and this did not sit well with me. With some research, I came across a company supplying the world’s first, and only, 100% recycled and 100% recyclable acrylic sheet which allowed me to choose a sustainable material without compromising the overall look and finish of my artwork.
Tell us about the inspiration behind your One Sock Story
T-Shirt design?
As part of The One Sock Story, A.LONDON’s Co-Founder, Stella Gittins approached me with incredible idea to raise money and awareness for Neuroblastoma UK, a national charity dedicated to finding a cure for neuroblastoma. During Children’s Cancer Awareness Month in September, Stella asked me along with other talented artists to design an exclusive t-shirt for the One Sock Story, with 100% of profits donated to the Neuroblastoma charity. As I use psychology behind colour in my work, I had to design a t-shirt with bright colours, to bring positive energy and hope for the future to all the families that have been affected by this devastating diagnosis. It has been a great success so far, with the likes of Alan Carr and Scott Mills sharing their support.
What can we expect from Nat Bowen soon?
I have a show coming up at the Saatchi Gallery in October where I will be exhibiting my ‘Back to Light’ collection with artworks painted using a mix of rare historic pigments, neon pigments and elements from the earth. The centrepiece of the collection is ‘Black Diamond’, an artwork with one hundred layers of resin representing the facets of a diamond painted using 4.5 billion years old meteorite dust, amorphous carbon and graphite with 1000 carats of crushed genuine black diamond set in the centre.
