About the Artist
About the Artist
Eric Bowman was born in Pasadena and grew up in Orange County, California where he was always the class artist throughout his elementary and high school years. Early on, various art-related jobs such as silk screen T-shirt printer or surfboard airbrush artist led to a lengthy and successful career as a commercial illustrator, eventually transitioning to fine art painting.
As a painter, Eric has exhibited in national & regional exhibitions in galleries and museums across the country, including the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Oklahoma City, OK; the Autry Museum, Los Angeles, CA; the Briscoe Museum, San Antonio, TX; the Couse-Sharp Historic Museum, Taos, NM; the Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN; the Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK; the Kaiping Art Museum, China; the Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD; the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and the Salmagundi Club, NYC. His paintings are in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S. as well as England, China, Australia, Canada, Mexico and the West Indies.
Eric's work has also been showcased in feature articles with Western Art & Architecture, Art Of The West, Practique Des Arts (France), Southwest Art, International Artist, Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air and Western Art Collector magazines. He is a Signature Member of the California Art Club, and former Signature member of the American Impressionist Society and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Eric resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and daughter.
Contact: [email protected]
Publications:
Western Art Collector magazine - Feature Article May 2026
Southwest Art magazine - Solo Show Preview May 2026
Western Art Collector magazine - Group Show, Briscoe Museum Night of Artists preview March/April 2024
Western Art Collector magazine - Feature Article September 2023
Western Art & Architecture magazine - Feature Article August/September 2023
Western Art & Architecture magazine - Art of Collecting and Prix de West preview June/July 2022
True West magazine - Scottsdale Art Auction report June 2022
Western Art Collector magazine - Group Show Preview July 2021
Art of the West magazine - Studio Feature March/April 2021
Western Art Collector magazine - COVER and Solo Show Preview Feb 2021
Western Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview Nov 2020
Southwest Art magazine - COVER and Solo Show Preview Nov 2020
Western Art Collector magazine - Prix de West Show Preview August 2020
"Maynard Dixon's American West; Along the Distant Mesa" book 2019
Western Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview May 2019
Southwest Art magazine - Feature Article January 2019
Southwest Art magazine - Solo Show Preview June 2018
Western Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview June 2018
Fine Art Connoisseur magazine - Feature on Western Influences Oct 2017
Western Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview August 2017
Southwest Art magazine - Solo Show Preview August 2017
Art of the West magazine - Feature Article March/April 2017
Plein Air magazine - Feature Article April 2016
Pratique Des Arts (French art publication) - Feature Article May 2015
Southwest Art magazine - "Artist to Watch" Oct 2014
International Artist magazine - Feature Article Nov/Dec 2014
Uncle Jam magazine - Feature Article and cover image Winter 2013
American Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview May 2013
American Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview Jan 2013
Southwest Art magazine - "Artistic Excellence" Award Dec 2012
American Art Collector magazine - Solo Show Preview June 2011
Awards:
Third Place - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" Jan. 2026
Artists Choice - "Night of Artists" March 2024 - Briscoe Museum, San Antonio, TX
Second Place - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" Oct. 2022
Great American Cowboy Award - "Prix de West" June 2021 - National Cowboy Museum, OKC
Second Place - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" Sept. 2020
Product Award - “Masters of the American West” Montgomery Frames Feb 2019 - Autry Museum, CA
Artists Choice - "Sonoma Plein Air" - September 2018 - Sonoma, CA
Best of Show - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" April 2018 - Juror: Jeffery Watts
Best of Show - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" June 2017 - Juror: David Kassan
First Place - "Plein Air Salon" Oct/Nov 2016 - Juror: C W Mundy
Second Place - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" October 2016 - Juror: Jennifer Diehl
Best of Show - "BoldBrush Painting Competition" January 2015 - Juror: Timothy C. Tyler
Honorable Mention - Southwest Art magazine "Artistic Excellence" competition 2012
Artist Choice - "Sonoma Plein Air" - Oct 2012 - Sonoma, CA
Plein Air Magazine Award - "Sonoma Plein Air" - Oct 2012 - Sonoma, CA
Second Place - "Plein Air Easton" - July 2012 - Easton, Maryland - Juror: Tim Newton, Salmagundi Club, NY
Second Place - "Hillsboro Plein Air" July 2010 - Cultural Arts Center; Hillsboro, OR
Purchase Prize - "Chronicle Exhibition Invitational" June 2010 - Festival of Arts; Lake Oswego, OR
Third Place - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air" 2009 - Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR - Juror: Ned Mueller
Third Place - "San Clemente Plein Air competition" 2008 - SC Art Assoc, San Clemente, CA - Juror: Debra Huse
First Place - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air" 2008 - Hood River, OR - Juror: Colleen Schafroth - Director, Maryhill Museum
Second Place Quick Draw - "Paint San Clemente Plein Air competition" 2008 - SC Art Assoc, San Clemente, CA
Two Purchase Prize Awards - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2007" - Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR - Juror: Susan Diehl
Honorable Mention - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2006" - Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR - Juror: Susan Diehl
First Place - "Pacific Northwest Plein Air" 2005"- Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR - Juror: Kenn Backhaus
Best Oil - "Paint the Gorge Plein Air Show" 2005 - Caswell Gallery; Troutdale, OR
People's Choice - "Paint the Gorge Plein Air Show"2005 - Caswell Gallery; Troutdale, OR
First Place Quick Draw - "Bidwell Park Centennial Plein Air Competition 2005" Avenue 9 Gallery; Chico, CA
Select Shows:
Invitational - Prix de West 2020 - 2026 - National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
Invitational - Quest for the West 2024 - Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN
Invitational - Small Works, Great Wonders 2019, 2025 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
Invitational - Masters of the American West 2019 - 2023 Autry Museum - Los Angeles, CA
Group Show - California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibition 2016, 2017, 2018 - Natural History Museum - Los Angeles, CA
Solo Shows - Maxwell Alexander Gallery 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2026 - Pasadena, CA
Invitational - Night of Artists 2018-2020, 2023-2026 - Briscoe Western Art Museum - San Antonio, TX
Group Show - Coors Western Art Exhibition 2016, 2017 - Denver, CO
Invitational - Chinese & American Outdoor Painting Exhibition 2016 Kaiping Art Museum, Kaiping, China
Invitational - American Masters 2014, 2015, 2016 - Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
Group Show - Sonoma Plein Air 2009, 2011 thru 2019 - Sonoma, CA
Invitational - Maynard Dixon Country 2016 - Mount Carmel, Utah
Invitational - Collectors Reserve 2015 - Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa,
Juried Show - American Impressionist Society National Exhibitions 2010 thru 2015
Juried Show - Plein Air Easton 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 - Academy Art Museum, Easton, Maryland
Invitational - Laguna Plein Air Painters Assoc. Invitational Oct 2013 - Laguna Beach, CA
Juried Show - Oil Painters of America National Exhibitions 2008, 2009, 2012 - Evergreen Gallery, Evergreen, CO
Juried Show - Laguna Plein Air Painters Asso. Best Of Plein Air 2010 - 2012 - Laguna Beach, CA
Juried Show - Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2005 thru 2010 - Columbia River Art Gallery; Hood River, OR
Juried Show - Salon International 2010 - Greenhouse Gallery; Austin, TX
Award Judge - Borrego Springs Plein Air Invitational 2010 - Borrego Art Institute; Borrego Springs, CA
Juried Show - Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibitions 2005, 2009
