Leigh Hewson-Bower is a widely travelled artist who has established himself as a leading realism painter in Perth Western Australia.

His experience in commercial photography allows Leigh to capture the seascape scenery with artful intention, later to be represented in acrylic on large canvasses.

Water flows through Leigh Hewson-Bower’s work, it is rare he will create a painting without an element of water represented in it. His ability to get the play of light coming through the water is incredible, and the result breathtaking.

Enjoy Getting to Know Leigh Hewson-Bower

When did you first feel the desire to be artistic and realize you had talent?

Ever since I was a small child… I loved drawing and later began copying famous works in pastel then tried oil paint and made a fairly simple copy of a van Eyck. I must give that another shot.

Where did you learn your art?

I studied Fine Art in Melbourne at Caulfield Institute of Technology (now Monash) for four wonderful years graduating in 1967.

What inspires you most?

I have always been inspired by other artists’ work, whether it is an Anselm Kiefer, a Gerhard Richter or a dazzling portrait by J S Sargent. The natural world not so much inspires me as gives me a wonderful opportunity to try and capture its complexity and of course its beauty

What message are you sending to the viewer of your art?

To approach the natural world with open eyes to catch a glimpse of the sublime. I guess I feel more in common with the Romantic Movement in painting which had its peak in the 19th Century and followed that principal.

Describe your studio

My studio is not particularly large. Around 4x3m and is part of our apartment here at Leighton Beach.

Describe your typical day of creating art

I start work in the morning and work for around three hours then a couple more in the afternoon and that’s about it.

What mediums do you use and why?

I work with acrylic because it allows a lot of overlaying in a short space of time and by adding retarders it can remain fresh and fluid for enough time to achieve the result I’m looking for.

What are you working on now?

A large painting of Hamelin Bay for my upcoming show at JahRoc Galleries.

What are your recent career achievements you feel proud of?

Being selected to paint eight works for an eighty four meter super-yacht owned by a Singaporean billionaire.

What do you love most about what you do?

When the work seems effortless and the results are beyond my expectations.

Where can you see yourself in 10 years time?

Painting somewhere.

Leigh Hewson-Bower – Artist Biography

Leigh Hewson-Bower was born in 1947 in Melbourne. From an early age, Leigh Hewson, as he was then, showed a passion for drawing and painting; in his father’s hardware shop in Melbourne he would sit at the counter drawing for hours at a time, much to the customers’ amusement. In his early teens, he made copies of his favourite artists’ work; da Vinci , Rembrandt, Van Eyck; these were the people that provided endless fascination for any young artist. It was about this time that Leigh sold his first painting, a nude study, for the sum of $400 dollars, which seemed like a fortune in 1963.

After four years of study at Caulfield where Leigh Hewson-Bower was awarded the annual prize three years running, he left with a Diploma in Fine Art/ Painting. Several years of working in commercial photography followed, travelling to Europe and South East Asia on various assignments. Exhibitions of photography and large abstract paintings at Consortium Galleries in Adelaide attracted favourable reviews.

In 1983 Leigh Hewson-Bower moved to Perth to help set up a production company for the construction and painting of theatre sets. The years that followed saw him painting 20 meter wide cloths for the Australian Ballet, full sets for the West Australian Ballet and Opera, and the Australian Opera, and in addition, pursuing a career as an artist, exhibiting at Perth Galleries.

Over the last few years the success of his landscape and seascape paintings has allowed him do devote his full time to the pursuit of excellence that began many years ago with a young boy fascinated by the astonishing technical skill shown by the Masters.

1947 Born Melbourne, Victoria
1967 Graduated with Diploma of Fine Art in Painting,Caulfield Institute of Technology.

Exhibitions

1978 Consortium Galleries, Adelaide, solo exhibition of photography.
1979 Consortium Galleries, Adelaide, group show of paintings.
1980 Consortium Galleries, Adelaide, group show of paintings
1993 Perth Galleries, solo exhibition of paintings
1994 Perth Galleries, solo exhibition of paintings
1995 Perth Galleries, solo exhibition of paintings
1995 Winner, Wanneroo Art Prize
1996 Perth Galleries, group show of paintings
1998 Aspects of Fremantle, Moores Building,Fremantle.
2000 WA Print Award exhibition, Moores Building, Fremantle.
2001 Centenary of Federation Kings Park Calendar
2002 Melbourne on Hay Gallery, Perth
2007 Linton and Kay, Perth
2008 Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Sydney
2009 Linton and Kay, Perth
2009 Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Sydney
2010 Linton and Kay, Perth
2011 “Reference Points” Linton and Kay, Perth
2012 “A Sense Of Place” Linton and Kay, Perth
2013 “Back to the Island” Linton and Kay, Perth
2014 “The Kimberley Series” Linton and Kay, Perth
2015 “From The Boat” Linton and Kay, Perth
2016 “Signature Works” Linton and Kay, Perth
2016 “Islands” Red Sea Gallery, Singapore
2017 Linton and Kay, Perth WA
2018 Linton and Kay, Perth
2019 “Intrinsic Form” JahRoc Galleries, Margaret River WA
2020 “South West Shorelines” JahRoc Galleries, Margaret River WA

Prizes

Winner, Wanneroo Art Prize 1995

Collections

Represented in private and corporate collections in Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Singapore, Hong Kong and United Kingdom.

In the Studio

Leigh Hewson Bower Up Close And Personal Image For Web Two

Leigh Hewson Bower Up Close And Personal Image For Web One

Leigh Hewson-Bower Exhibitions at JahRoc Galleries

Exhibition
“Intrinsic Form”

Paintings by Leigh Hewson- Bower
Jewellery by Gemma Baker
Fine Furniture by JahRoc Furniture (Gary Bennett & David Paris)

9th March 2019

View Full Exhibition