Opening
times: Tue-Fri 12-5pm; Sat & Sun 11am -4pm;
Closed
Monday
First Impressions' is a solo exhibition of black and
white hand prints by Joe Bowes.
'These powerful and
evocative images convey the full drama of their subjects
in a way that stirs up the emotion of a landscape in
the viewer'. 'Travel around various parts of the British
Isles has enlivened his enthusiasm and passion for
the medium and he has, in recent years, started to
share his work and experiences with others'. Joe Bowes
was born in 1963 in Stockport, Cheshire and at the
age of 4 he and his family moved to a small village
near Banbury, Oxfordshire. He still lives in this area
having moved to another village nearby on the edge
of the Cotswolds.
Joe's introduction to the visual
arts came at an early age as his mother was an artist,
mainly oils, and taught art for many years. When he
was in his early teens he was introduced to photography
when his grandfather gave him an old Yashica camera.
Unfortunately, at this time there were few outlets
to discover the world of photography and developing
had to be done by post so for a young boy growing up
in the country there were many other activities and
sports that soon took preference although photography
still featured when the time arose.
After moving through
the education system and studying engineering Joe started
a career in manufacturing which led to him owning his
own business in which he is still involved.
Throughout
his life he often revisited photography but it wasn't
until the new millenium that time allowed a full commitment
to the art and during this time he found that the world
seemed more visual in black and white with this medium
being exemplary at conveying the drama and theatre
of a landscape. Add to this the pleasure of 'unlocking'
an image in the darkroom and producing a fine art print
he was hooked. Bowes has previously shown work as part
of a group exhibition at the Michael Heseltine Gallery
in Middleton Cheney. His image ‘Four Trees’ was featured
in the 2008 Landscape Photographer of the Year , published
by the AA, and subsequently the image was exhibited
at the National Theatre in London as part of the exhibition.
Bowes’ photography is captured on film using medium format cameras. He develops
the work himself, printing his images in the darkroom
onto fiber based paper. Like most landscape photographers,
Bowes is clearly captivated by natural surroundings
and says of his work: ‘The art of printing feeling
into each image is what inspires me to attempt to pass
onto others the emotion of a landscape rather than
the view, in the hope that they too feel the same sense
of awe that I feel when in these surroundings.’
The
O3 Gallery will be featuring a selection of Bowes black
and white landscape photographs this Autumn to coincide
with the publication of Bowes first book of Fine Art
Photography. All images will be for sale and have an
edition limit of 45. The prints are Silver hallide
- Archivally hand processed and toned on exhibition
quality fibre based paper. Prints are 9" x 6.75" or
9"x 9" plus border. All prints are signed and numbered.
www.bowesimaging.co.uk
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