Vanessa’s paintings observe the simple beauty of the everyday surroundings of her native Dorset. Captured in her richly detailed still lifes and her whimsical landscape paintings , she uses her innate sense of colour to jewel-like effect.
She creates work that she hopes will evoke joy in the eye of the beholder.
‘Her muted palette and beautifully detailed still lifes are distinctively hers – she has a wonderful eye for colour.’
Art of England magazine
Her landscapes observe the pattern and texture of the countryside around her home. She paints features left by the working of the land, punctuated by seasonal land marks – such as skeletons of trees in winter or hedgerow flowers in summer. Detailed foregrounds of vibrantly coloured berries or hips, delicate snowdrops or cow parsley lead the eye into an intimate portrait of her Dorset surroundings. Imagined figures or animals sometimes wander into these scenes.
‘Vanessa Bowman’s still life paintings are not unlike the work of Mary Fedden, with her cool palette bringing a contemporary edge to the work.’
RWA (Royal West of England Academy)