Olwen was born in Dublin, Ireland and emigrated with her family to the United States. She grew up in Malibu, California and Dublin, Ireland. Her primary inspirations in art are Richard Diebenkorn, Turner, Homer, and Joaquin Sorolla. Olwen paints images in oil and watercolor of the West of Ireland, as well as North Chester, where she lives in the Berkshire mountains. She is also a printmaker in intaglio, drypoint/monotype, and is a member of the Zea Mays Printmaking Studio and the Monotype Guild of New England. Olwen has been a member of the National Association of Women Artists and is currently a member of the California Society of Printmakers, The Boston Printmakers, and the Hilltown Arts Alliance.
Olwen’s paintings are in private collections in the United States and Europe. In recent years, she has exhibited at the James Joyce Centre and the Hallward Gallery in Dublin, Ireland; Smith College Alumnae Gallery, Hosmer Gallery, and the Watkins Gallery in Northampton MA. Olwen’s intaglio artwork is represented by the Zea Mays Flat File Project, and her print work has been represented in group shows at the APE Gallery in Northampton and the Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. At the Lenox Gallery, Massachusetts, Olwen received Honorable Mention in the Fem in Art Show. Olwen has also worked for over two decades in the professional theatre in production and has designed scenery and backcloths for theatrical productions. Olwen has been producer, managing director, production manager, and stage manager for professional theatrical institutions, as well as, director of the Northampton Center for the Arts. She graduated as a Studio Art Major with a minor in Biology from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Olwen has also studied at the L’Ecole d’Art, Vallauris, France and the Sun Valley Arts Program in Hailey, Idaho. Olwen is currently represented by her own gallery in North Chester, Massachusetts and works as an arts consultant. Olwen lived for ten years in Cleveland, Ohio where she was production manager at The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival and helped move the company from downtown Cleveland to Playhouse Square as well as guiding the first 8 ½ hour U.S. production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby as it was presented in Chicago.
Olwen has been privileged to be a returning artist in residence at The Tyrone Guthrie Centre in autumn of 2023 and is privileged to be a past artist in residence and fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in spring 2021.
Olwen was the Founder and Chairman of the first Smith College ADA Alumnae Exhibition.
ARTICLES
August 9, 2022: Canvas Rebel — Meet Olwen Dowling
We recently connected with Olwen Dowling and have shared our conversation below.
Olwen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?
I have had two careers. Both in the arts. I feel lucky that I worked in theatre for 20 years and then returned to my art. All that I learned has helped enrich my visual arts. I had a degree in Visual Arts and Biology. Both aspects of learning have also contributed to my understanding of the world as an artist
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
It is hard to believe it is almost three years since the pandemic began. I was lucky more than most people because I had my art and my home studio. I also had the opportunity to zoom workshops and keep engaged with the art community in my area. I learned about other mediums : woodcut, photopolymer and just getting back to basic drawing. Things quieted down and any exhibitions I had were postponed or cancelled. There was a kind of stillness about my neck of the woods. It helped bring things somewhat into perspective for me. I started with observing past work and what I was doing during this time. I realized I was focusing on finding peace with all that we were facing. It helped and I was also able to become active by helping to get out the vote. So much of this is still our daily experience. One change which I know is special is that my printmaking co op is back up and running. I cherish my time with this community of artists. Just the energy is healing.
I was a Fellow at The Virginia Center for the Arts in April 2022 and it was a great experience and productive. I met many artists from all disciplines, and we had wonderful evenings of writers reading from their daily works in front of a fire. It was my first residency in the USA. I usually go to the Tyrone Guthrie Center in Ireland. A place I have been fortunate to visit many times over the years. A very special experience.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I wrote this for my exhibition titled STILLNESS: “It seems each day we are feeling our equilibrium askew with a continuing barrage from outside sources that affect much more than we ever imagined. It’s almost unreal in its intensity and disturbance. No matter who or where you are from, something new and awful has occurred to us all. My way of responding is to find a way to try and live my life to its fullest and appreciate how beautiful it can be by doing my art. And- at the same time stay connected and try for change! Time will tell where it all settles. This is very personal because I decided to go back to a time of study that helped me get centered. That is Plant Biology and Nature. Nature and what it brings to our daily lives is the ultimate healer. These monotype, dry points, intaglio etchings , a few oils and a watercolors will center on this experience and hopefully bring a sense of stillness and quietude to the viewer. That is my hope.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was painting and drawing at a very young age and also had an understanding of the entertainment and theatre business. My father and husband were actors. I worked in production and management in the theatre for 20 years. Then, decided to return to my own reality which was the visual arts. Now I am working in a few mediums. I love printmaking in Intaglio etching and monotype and drypoint. I am also a watercolorist and painter. I find that I am fortunate to have made this change in my life in my early 40’s ( I have a degree in Studio Art and Biology) and it made it possible for me to open up another chapter in my life.
December 29, 2019: Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton MA, ART TALK —
Art Maker: Olwen Dowling, Painter and Printmaker
Born in Ireland but raised mostly in southern California, Olwen Dowling has a varied background in the arts. For over two decades she worked in many capacities in theater — producer, managing director, stage manager, scenery designer — for venues such as The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival and The Chester Theatre (the latter of which she co-founded). She is also a former director of the Northampton Center for the Arts.
And for the past 25 years, Dowling, of West Chester, has been a visual artist as well. “I have been privileged to be a returning artist in residence at The Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland and am delighted to be a fellow artist in residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts next spring 2020,” she says. Her prints and paintings are especially inspired by the Berkshires and Ireland. Dowling has also been a member of Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence for about 18 years.
Hampshire Life: Talk about the work you’re currently doing. What does it involve, and what are you trying to achieve?
Olwen Dowling: I’m working in drypoint/ monotype printmaking and loving it. I wanted to do something different in printmaking related to etching but with color. The drypoint etching and monotype made sense. I am also focusing on plant life and feel the relevance with climate change. I had a double degree from Smith College in studio art and plant biology. So, it was a familiar place to be.
HL: What do you draw inspiration from?
OD: My inspiration changes and can move from one area of nature to another. I am also moved by family life. I work in printmaking, oils and watercolors, and the subject matter often dictates the medium.
HL: How do you know when your work is finished?
OD: Sometimes it’s hard to even know if a painting is finished. However, there was a wonderful Irish painter, Gerard Dillon, who once told my husband that when he went to bed at night, he would put the painting at the bottom of his bed on an easel. When he woke up, the first thing he would see would be the painting, and then he would know if it was finished or not. I’ve done a variation on that theme.
HL: Name two artists you admire or who have influenced your work.
OD: There are many I’ve studied and whose work I love, but a few who come to mind are Turner, Cassatt and Homer.
HL: What’s the most recent exhibition/concert/book reading/other event by another artist or group that you’ve attended and enjoyed?
OD: During a visit to the National Gallery of Ireland, I saw the most extraordinary work of a Spanish painter, Joaquín Sarolla, whose oils and use of light and paint just seemed to move over the canvas. It was just magnificent.
HL: If you weren’t an artist, what do you think you’d be?
OD: I think I would have loved medical research of the brain or perhaps being an obstetrician. I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than the birth of a child.
HL: Dream dinner party — who would you invite?
OD: Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, Tom and Rita Hanks, Jane Goodall, David Attenborough, Lin-Manuel Miranda and perhaps Eleanor Roosevelt — but since the latter is impossible, Doris Kearns Goodwin would be my second choice.
HL: What is your go-to snack while you’re working?
OD: I am afraid it’s chocolate.
HL: Do you listen to music while working? What kind?
OD: I enjoy Diana Krall, Shirley Scott, Frank Sinatra on occasion and Bocelli the opera singer.
HL: What do you do when you’re stuck?
OD: I go for a walk or pick up a book. Nice things to fall back on, I think!
— Steve Pfarrer