Standing at the easel in her studio, a wooden pavilion at the end of her West Dorset garden, Vanessa Bowman puts the finishing touches to her latest work of art. Renowned for her detailed still-life paintings which observe the simple beauty of nature and everyday objects – a vase of garden flowers, a hen’s feather, a delicate spray of cow parsley or a bowl of plums – the award-winning artist has been much in demand of late. But this new body of work is among a number of exciting commercial commissions that have come her way in the past year.
As well as exhibiting at six galleries, Vanessa has painted a series of garden illustrations for House & Garden magazine, teamed up with Farrow & Ball on a project to launch their ‘Colour by Nature’ collection; and produced seasonal scenes of pheasants and hares for Highgrove’s Christmas card collection.
Her latest exclusive collaboration is with the locally-based fashion brand Kettlewell Colours, which invited her to create a series of vibrant seasonal textile designs for Spring/Summer 2020. The result is a vibrant range of florals and scatter print dresses and tops - each textile design capturing what Art of England Magazine describes as Vanessa’s ‘wonderful eye for colour’.
‘Vanessa understands colour and instinctively knows which shades blend well together'
Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av Dorset Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av Dorset Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Fighting Fit At Fifty
As the country braces for a lockdown winter, seize the moment to become the fittest you can be – after all age is just a number
Last Night I Dreamt I Went To Mapperton Again...
Helen Stiles goes behind the scenes at the filming of Rebecca where two historic Dorset manor houses play a starring role as Manderley in this romantic thriller
Painting the Seasons
Nicholas Hely Hutchinson reveals how the changing moods of the Dorset coast and countryside inspire his paintings
THE HEAT IS ON
Weymouth 51 are blazing a trail through the chilli world with their handcrafted fermented sauces that offer layers of complex flavours from mild and fruity to super-hot tongue tinglers
Meeting MR FIX IT
Sir Oliver Letwin stepped down as the MP for West Dorset in 2019, but his passion for the county he served for 22 years is as strong as ever
Wildlife Wanderings
David Bailey shares some of his favourite Dorset images and stories taken from his new book
SOWING THE SEEDS
The average age of a British farmer is 60, which is why the Melplash Agricultural Society is investing in the next generation of Dorset farmers
HAUNTED DORSET
From spectral Roman armies and duelling ghosts to a beneficent black dog, Jerry Bird explores some of the spookier goings on around the county
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role