A Taste of Autumnal Splendour – Olwyn Bowey’s ‘The Artist’s Greenhouse’

An exciting original painting by revered British artist Olwyn Bowey (b.1936) titled ‘The Artist’s Greenhouse – Seedheads and Tortoiseshell Butterfly‘ will be presented for sale at Plymouth Auction Rooms. Bowey pursued her education at the West Hartlepool School of Art and the Royal College of Art, where she excelled and was awarded a First-Class Diploma, a continuation scholarship, and a David Murray Landscape Scholarship.

Her artistic career began with her first exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in London. She also participated in group exhibitions at the Zwemmer Gallery in 1961 and the New Grafton Gallery in 1969, both located in London. While initially focused on portraiture, Bowey eventually relocated to the countryside to dedicate herself to landscape and still-life painting. She developed a particular fascination with the tradition of artists who were also skilled gardeners. In 2000, she organised an exhibition titled “Olwyn Bowey Drawings” in the Friends’ Room at the Academy, which explored this theme.

Presently, Bowey prefers to work directly on location, often outdoors, but primarily in her greenhouse, which serves as her studio. Among Bowey’s many achievements, she was elected Royal Academician in 1975 (ARA 1970), awarded the position of an Honorary Member of the Royal West England Academy, and is an Associate of the Royal College of Art. One of the artist’s works, Portrait of L.S Lowry resides permanently at the Tate Modern.

The owners of this delightful work purchased it from a Guildford gallery in 1993, at which point it was lovingly hung in their dining room for decades. A prime example of Bowey’s expert hand at capturing the charm of British nature within the domestic space, The Artist’s Greenhouse would make a wonderful addition to any collection. Original works by Bowey have fetched results between £2,000 to £4,000 and beyond in recent auctions.

Join Plymouth Auction Rooms on the of 12th of June for this thrilling sale and place your bid on living British art history. To learn more, visit bid.plymouthauctions.co.uk/auctions