Artist Statement
I make paintings with a skewed perspective, idiosyncratic colors and patterns, a sense of fun and an underlying feeling of foreboding. My fear of being lost and of loss in general creates anxiety manifested in my recurring nightmares. This is reflected in my paintings. The reality of working in my studio brings me daily joy. These contradictory feelings address the dichotomies I experience between reality and my dreams.
I observe structures in the built environment. When light hits surfaces it liquefies them causing luminosity. Clashing colors, disruptive yet also strangely beautiful, challenge a reality that constantly shifts and changes. My aim is to capture these contradictions as I paint.
The “Askew” paintings teeter between happiness and anxiety. Hard edges, geometric shapes and bright colors contrast with areas of soft washes which exist as a symbolic escape from my anxiety.
Indicating the flow of time as it warps, flips, and steadies, the paintings balance the slipperiness of memory with reality. A sense of humor glimmering throughout helps balance the unpredictable nature of life with hope.
Shapes pop in and out. The forms suggest impossible spaces to get through—or are they playful challenges to navigate?
Solidly colored shapes vs textured; hard edges vs ragged; accurate perspective coupled with skewed perspective. These contrasting passages, with a confusion of intersecting spaces, are inconsistencies mirroring the uncertainties of life and the relativity of time.
Askew #101: Destination—Undetermined, Found:RE Contemporary Gallery, Phoenix
Bio
Barbara Kemp Cowlin lives/works in Oracle, Arizona, a small mountain town between Phoenix and Tucson.
She earned a BFA in Printmaking and an MA in Printmaking from Northern Arizona University.
In 2023, Barbara Kemp Cowlin received the Arizona Commission on the Arts Research and Development Grant. She was awarded the 2019 Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Individual Artist Grant, in addition to being a finalist in 2018 and 2014. She was selected to participate in the Ox-Bow Longform Residency in 2021. The artist received an Anonymous Was a Woman Emergency Relief Grant in 2020 and Professional Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts in 2015.
Solo exhibits include Wright Contemporary Gallery Project Room, Taos, NM, 1ART Gallery, Tucson, AZ, the Eric Fischl Gallery, Phoenix College, Phoenix, AZ; The Balcony Gallery at London Gold in Scottsdale, AZ; Rancho Linda Vista Gallery, Oracle, AZ; Powell Museum in Page, AZ; Casa Grande Art Museum, Casa Grande, AZ; Blue Dome Gallery, Silver City, NM; Yuma Art Center, Yuma, AZ; Agua Caliente Ranch Park Gallery in Tucson, AZ; Willo North Gallery, Phoenix, AZ; and the @ Central Gallery, Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix, AZ.
Collections include the City of Phoenix Print Collection; University of Arizona Special Collections; Providence Medical Center, Everett, Washington; Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio; First Bancorp Headquarters, Troy, North Carolina; Baylor University Medical Center, Houston, Texas; Edison & Sprinkles Architecture & Design, Vancouver, British Columbia, Grafix Company, Maple Heights, Ohio.
Barbara Kemp Cowlin Resume, American, (b. 1950)
Education History
M.A., Printmaking, 1978, Northern Arizona University
B.F.A., Printmaking, 1974, Northern Arizona University
Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program in Art, 1997, University of Phoenix
Post-Graduate Studies: Letterpress Printing & Bookmaking,1987-1988, Arizona State University
Grants and Residencies
2023
Arizona Commission on the Arts Research and Development Grant
2020
Anonymous was a Woman Emergency Relief Grant
2019
Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant
2018
Finalist, Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant
2015
Professional Development Grant, Arizona Commission on the Arts
2014
Finalist, Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant
2012
Gottlieb Emergency Assistance Grant
Residency
2021
Ox-Bow Longform Residency, Saugatauk, MI
Solo Exhibitions
2023
Reality Flip, The Project Room at Wright Contemporary Gallery, Taos, New Mexico
2022
Reality Flip, 1ART on Broadway, Tucson, Arizona
2019
It’s All Askew: Spatial Transformations, Eric Fischl Gallery, Phoenix College, Phoenix, Arizona
2018
Upstairs & Around the Corner, The Balcony Gallery at London Gold, Scottsdale, Arizona
Water, Flowers and Askew, Rancho Linda Vista Gallery, Oracle, Arizona
2017
Painting Water, Casa Grande Art Museum, Casa Grande, Arizona
Bloom, Pastiche, Tucson, Arizona
2016
Painting Water, Powell Museum, Page, Arizona
2015
Painting Water, Yuma Fine Art Center, Yuma, Arizona
Painting Water, Rancho Linda Vista Gallery, Oracle, Arizona
Painting Water, Blue Dome Gallery, Silver City, New Mexico
2013
Reflections in the Desert, Rancho Linda Vista Gallery, Oracle, Arizona
Reflections in the Desert, Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
2010
Nooks & Crannies, Willo North Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
2009
Nooks & Crannies, @Central Gallery, Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix, Arizona
1995
Southwestern Images, Downtown Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Two Person Exhibitions
2021
Abstracted Realities, First Studio Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
2019
Organically Askew, Chandler Center for the Arts Gallery, Chandler, Arizona
2010
Nooks & Crannies, Lower Link Gallery, Tucson International Airport, Tucson, Arizona
1996
The Southwest, The Land and the People, Casa Grande Art Museum, Casa Grande, Arizona
1985
Fascinated by People, Phoenix College Art Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022
Ethereal Communication, The Painting Center, New York, NY
Consideration of Color, Royce Contemporary, Scottsdale, AZ
PHX Art NOW IV, Mesa Community College Art Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
Out of the Blue, Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler, Arizona
Life Patterns, Olney Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Up Close, Shemer Art Center, Phoenix, Arizona
2021
Color Play, Garvey|Simon Gallery at Artisan Lofts, Tribeca, New York
One in a Year, The Painting Center, New York City, New York
Artlink 21st Annual Juried Exhibition, FOUND:Re Contemporary Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Xscapes: Landscapes, Cityscapes & Mindscapes, FOUND:Re Contemporary Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
All Art Arizona ’21, Art Intersection, Gilbert, Arizona
2020
Artists’ Breakfast Club, 20 Years, Scottsdale Arts, Civic Center Library Gallery, Arizona
An Eye for Color, Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, Arizona
SELECT 5, Garvey|Simon Gallery, New York, New York, online
Ensemble: Together Again (online), The Painting Center, New York City, New York
Provocation of Place, Light Art Space, Silver City, New Mexico
Artlink 20th Annual Juried Exhibition, Artlink Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
[Indexhibit] Series, Mood Room Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
2019
Fantastical Botanical, Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler, Arizona
Square, Modified Arts, Phoenix, Arizona
Tiny Works, Tiny Dances V, {9}The Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
The Art of Water, Phoenix Airport Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
Power of Five Invitational, Five15Arts, Phoenix, Arizona
10x10x10 Tieton, Mighty Tieton Warehouse, Tieton, Washington
Arizona Aqueous XXXIV, Tubac Center for the Arts, Tubac, Arizona
2018
Small Works, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, Guest curated by Sharon Louden
All Art Arizona, Art Intersection, Gilbert, Arizona
ARIZONA Otherworldly, Tohono Chul Park Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
Tiny Works|Tiny Dances, [9] The Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Small Works, Tohono Chul Park Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
Reinventing Abstraction, Royse Contemporary Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
2017
PaperWorks, Roche Gallery, Oro Valley, Arizona
Flat Rate Box, Modified/Arts, Phoenix Arizona
Square Foot #5 Exhibition, Projects Gallery, Aqua Art, Art Basel, Miami
Glow, Triangle L Adobe Gallery, Oracle, Arizona
Liquidity, Three Woman Exhibition, First Studio Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
The Drawing Studio Faculty Retrospective, Mesch, Clark & Rothschild Law, Tucson, Arizona
All Art Arizona, Art Intersection, Gilbert, Arizona
Bid Up!, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, Arizona
Small Works, Art Intersection, Gilbert, Arizona
2016
Square Foot #4 Exhibition, Projects Gallery, Aqua Art, Art Basel, Miami, Florida
Southwestern Invitational, Traveling Exhibition, Coconino Center for the Arts, Phoenix Airport Museum, Arizona
Blue Dome Gallery, Silver City, New Mexico
Artifex Gallery, Troy, North Carolina
Art Un/dressed, The Drawing Studio, Tucson, Arizona
2015
Square Foot Exhibition, Projects Gallery, Aqua Art, Art Basel, Miami
, Florida
Small Wonders, The Drawing Studio, Tucson, Arizona
Southwestern Invitational, Traveling Exhibition, 6 Arizona locations
Monsoon Season, Raices Tallier Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
A Couple of Couples, Amity Foundation Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
2014
Hit the Road!, Tohono Chul Park Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
Water Reflections, Pastiche, Tucson, Arizona
2013
Beautiful Brain Teasers, Yuma Fine Art Center, Yuma, Arizona
Paper: From All Sides, Tohono Chul Park Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
2012
Art Oracle, Casa Grande Art Museum, Casa Grande, Arizona
Water: An Exploration in Prints, Tohono Chul Park Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
2011
Poco por Poco, Raices Tallier Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
Pattern and Rhythm, Tohono Chul Park Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
2010
Small Works, Duley-Jones Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
Four Seasons, Kachina Gallery, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
The Promotion Project, a collaboration organized by Sharon Butler, ArtExchange,
College Art Association, Chicago, Illinois
Art the Heals, Tohono Chul Park Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
2008
Art in the Hospital, Pagosa Springs Art Center, Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Borders, Fences and Gates, exhibition accompanying Between Fences, a
Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition, Ajo, Arizona
“big ideas, SMALL FRAMES”, Dinnerware ArtSpace, Tucson, Arizona
2007
Rural Art Showcase, Joel D. Valdez Main Library, Tucson, Arizona
2005
Group Exhibition, Gallery 465, Sedona, Arizona
2004
Group Exhibition, Gallery 465, Sedona, Arizona
2003
Faculty Exhibition, Hormel Arts Center, Phoenix, Arizona
1997
Art in Embassies Program, US Department of State, Bolivian Embassy
The Land, Arizona Gallery, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Outdoor Expressions, Sky Harbor International Airport Art Program, Phoenix, Arizona
1996
Group Exhibition, Gallery 3, Phoenix, Arizona
Landscapes, Real and Imagined, Gammage Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe
4” x 4”, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts
Explore the Grand Canyon CD-ROM, Contemporary Artists of the Grand Canyon
1995
Images of the Southwest, Gammage Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
With Human Attributes, GASP Gallery, Tucson Arizona
North Meets South at Oracle, Rancho Linda Vista Gallery, Oracle, Arizona
1994
With Human Attributes, Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale, Arizona
Current Directions, Northern Arizona University Art Museum, Flagstaff, Arizona
Collections
Baylor University Medical Center, Houston, Texas
City of Phoenix Municipal Collection
University of Arizona Library Special Collections
Providence Medical Center, Everett, Washington
Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
First BanCorp Headquarters, Troy, North Carolina
Edison & Sprinkles Architecture & Design, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Graphix Company, Maple Heights, Ohio
Lectures and Demonstrations
2022
Glendale Community College, Glendale AZ, Artist Talk, The Business of Art class
2021
Ox-Bow Longform Residency, Saugatuck MI, Artist Talk
2019
PaperWorks: The Sonoran Collective for Paper & Book Artists, Tucson AZ, Lecture
Eric Fischl Gallery, Phoenix College, Phoenix AZ, Gallery Talk for solo show “It’s All Askew: Spatial Transformations”
2018/2019
Smithsonian Water|Ways Traveling Exhibition, Speakers Bureau
2018
Palo Verde Arts Club, Green Valley AZ, Lecture/Demo
Artisan Materials Expo, Lecture/Demo, The Magic of Dura-Lar Films and Acrylics, Santa Fe NM
2017
Pima County Sun City Library, Peoria AZ, Lecture/Demo
Casa Grande Art Association, Casa Grande AZ, Lecture/Demo, accompanying solo show, Painting Water
2016
Artisan Materials Expo, Santa Fe NM, Lecture/Demo, Go with the Flow, Acrylic painting on Dura-lar
2015
Green Valley Artists Guild, Lecture/Demo, Acrylic Painting in Layers
SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild, Lecture/Demo, Acrylic Painting in Layers
2014
CASA, Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona, Lecture/Demo, Color Theory
PebbleCreek Art Club, Lecture/Demo, Acrylic Painting in Layers
Juror
2021
Arizona Artist Guild, Mood Room Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Go Figure, Herberger Theater Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
2019
Arizona Aqueous XXXIV, Tubac Center for the Arts, Tubac, Arizona