Meet Sabrina Gowen
Phone: 407-304-9212
Email: sabrinagowen@hotmail.com See my work in the gallery or SHOP NOW below, if you like a custom original pastel, a pet portrait or larger print size, send me an email here. |
I was born in a little town in southern France called Chateauroux, but was raised in Wiesbaden Germany. My European heritage influenced my lifestyle and ways of thinking as a young person, which carried over into adulthood. It caused me to see the world more deeply, more intensely, more colorful as I sketched everything I saw for hours and hours at a time.
I graduated from the University of Hartford in 1980 with both a Classic Theater Arts as well as a Communications degree. I spent some time in Munich as a professional actress, but then decided to move back to the United States to get married and raise a family. I spent most of my working life as an executive recruiter to make ends meet, keeping my artistic side hidden for a very long time. I became a caretaker for my mother for several years before she passed away in 2016. During my stay with her in Connecticut, I decided to take a 6 week course in pastels, at the local high school, and fell in love with the medium. I haven’t stopped painting ever since. To me stretching to new heights allows for growth. Although I am essentially a self taught artist, I keep challenging myself with evermore technically difficult subject matter. My first pastel paintings were of animals, my first love. I find that their little souls and their utter innocence reflect in their eyes, which I emphasize in my paintings to bring out their individual personalities. I still enjoy painting animal portraits, but have expanded to wild life, barn animals, landscapes, flowers and still life. I see the beauty in everything, perhaps in a way no one else can. My aim is to paint that visual image for all to enjoy. As Edgar Degas once said “Art is not a matter of what you see, but what you make other people see.” My inspiration has been 19th century post impressionistic artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne and Edward Manet. Their bright, bold colors and styles have always attracted me. I have always hoped to be able to, one day, rise to their heights in creating beauty in the way they did. I have a long way to go, but am loving the journey. |
