Sue Bown

I am a painter and printmaker, my practice is an embodied enquiry into movement and the body. I use gestural mark making and layering to take the viewer on an uplifting journey into space and place. Colour, scale and materiality are important to me. As is the physicality of moving paint on a surface, the handling of a materials is an energetic excitement, an expression of self.

I trained at Arts University Plymouth where I graduated with a first class honours degree in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking, where I was awarded the Pro Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence. I was also delighted to be short-listed for the Platform Graduate Award. Stephen Felmingham, Pro Vice Chancellor at Arts University Plymouth said of my work ‘Sue’s paintings demonstrate a profound understanding of material, colour and form, which she employs in a series of mature and confident works. These are outstanding paintings that resonate deeply with the viewer and are a testament to the immense hard work she has put into her practice during the course.”

“Sue’s paintings demonstrate a profound understanding of material, colour and form, which she employs in a series of mature and confident works…”

Stephen Felmingham, Pro Vice Chancellor, Arts University Plymouth

My influences are Sandra Blow whose dramatic compositions I find engaging and challenging. I hold a deep fascination in the colour palettes used by Patrick Heron and his written work on using brush strokes to create space in a painting.

Also, I am curious by the way art is interpreted and how the eye wants to make sense of an abstracted image. As human beings we look for familiar references, motifs that have a meaning for us. These references shaped by our own stories and idiosyncrasies. My guiding principle is ‘find a way’, this frequently features in my work and in my approach to my work and life. My art practice includes painting, drawing and printmaking techniques and frequently a mixture of them all. I work in oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel, pencil, ink, spray paint and pen.