<click here to see John's Work>
This September, Artana bids a special farewell to Summer with a show of new oils by noted Newport painter John G. MacGowan. Over the past decade, MacGowan has caught the attention of many collectors with his ability to capture the distinctive and hearty beauty of the New England coastline, from Monhegan to Newport. MacGowan's enthrallment with the Atlantic Ocean and the vessels that navigate it is due to years of top-level yacht racing, including five America's Cup campaigns. As with many great maritime painters before him, art and sailing comprise this talent's impassioned journey. See New England's seacoast through the eyes of a sailor: Invigorating, captivating, yet strikingly familiar.
Adding to his portfolio, MacGowan has ventured inland and painted views from the Charles River. See Boston's best sights immortalized in paint: city views from Cambridge, bike paths along the Charles, and the Zakim Bridge.
SHORT ARTIST BIO
John MacGowan paints in the American school of Impressionism style using his own version of strong "discontinuous paint" technique. He prefers to work "en plein air" with his mobile pochade box. Treated as a sport, MacGowan thrives on "action-painting" with his favorite band of artists year round creating landscapes that exude the energy and sense of freedom only the open field can provide. Interested in painting for as long as he can remember, he is "fascinated with the assemblage of realistic works because they are made up of abstractions working in unison". MacGowan received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, cum laude, from C.W. Post College, New York in 1979.
Living near the sea supports MacGowan's professional growth as an artist and suits his avocation of international yacht racing. He has been a team member of five America's Cup campaigns, beginning with Enterprise/Freedom in 1980. Most recently, MacGowan assisted the New York Yacht Club/Young America effort as a race commentator, viewing every race throughout the challenger series and the successful 2000 America's Cup defense in New Zealand. MacGowan has raced with many of yachting's illustrious skippers (including Conner, Turner, Jobson, Koch and Coutts) and is regular face on the recreational and professional yachting circuits.
Meet the artist OPENING NIGHT: Saturday, Sept.10th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm