Artist of the Month

Each month a different artist’s work is featured on the second floor of the library. A “Meet the Artist” for the month of January is on Friday, January 3 at 7 p.m.

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January: James Bowden

Runway Collection
Acrylic on PVC Panels

Artist Statement:
My paintings are abstract, painted in a flat, hard-edge style. They are preconceived but are not burdened by theory. The paintings are based on detailed small-scale studies that are products of a playful, intuitive approach. The paintings represent themselves, rather than being representational. The forms don’t symbolize or describe anything outside of the painting.

For me, a painting should open the minds of viewers to alternatives and ambiguities in the way the world is seen. My pieces provide direct experiences for viewers to recognize and understand the connections that organize and create the pictorial space. 

Painted with acrylic on PVC panels, the paintings are abstract and focused on creating pictorial space on the flat surfaces. In some of my paintings, the space is created entirely with painted forms. In others, space is created by the interaction of painted forms and cut out shapes that are adhered to the surface.

James Bowden is a retired art professor and former teacher (Chicago State University, Murray State University, Chicago Public Schools). He owns and operates a graphic arts/signage business.

Artwork shown here is a sampling of James Bowden’s work. Visit the second floor of the library during the month of January to view the entire exhibit.

See more of James Bowden’s artwork at https://www.jebowden.com.

Note: When you click on any of the images, a slideshow will open that will allow you to enjoy all images in a larger size. Click on the right or left arrows to view images. Click on the “x” at the top-left corner of the slideshow to go back to main page.

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All artwork (c)2025 by James Bowden.