We sat down with botanical artist Tim Fowler to discuss his wonderful artworks, his love for colour, and what freedom means to him.
Tim’s semi-abstract paintings are inspired by the migratory plants that accompany his own heritage. Although now a successful painter, Tim didn’t always believe in his own talents.He tells us how he became an artist: “I’m primarily a painter of botanical subjects. I’ve always enjoyed art but I was never a prodigy or standout student. I always assumed that there was no job where you could just be an artist, and then I sold a piece from my degree show. That gave me a massive confidence boost - it was about 15 years ago now.”
So how does Tim start an artwork? He talks us through this process: “I tend to work on multiple works at a time as I have a short attention span. If I am ever stuck on a painting I can put it to one side, leave it for a couple of days and carry on with another piece. I start out with drawing a rough competition outline of a banana plant for example. Then I paint the piece and block in certain colours with acrylic. Once I am happy with the colour palette I go in with oil paint. I add oil over the acrylic and they smear together and this gives really nice depth and the impression of shadow and tone. That tends to darken sections and bring the piece to life.”
Tim’s genius doesn’t stop there. He selects a few of his favourite paintings to be transformed into limited edition prints so more people can enjoy his artworks. Hand-finishing each one, Tim’s prints are carefully produced. The artist talks us through the steps to creating a print: “Once it gets to the end, I pick out a piece that will transfer well as a print. All of my prints are hand finished - I’ll touch up certain sections with pink acrylic paint, for example. For me, colour is the main point and focus, so if the colour isn't right on a print then it won’t go out. That makes them more original and unique.”
Tim with his print 'Pink Plantation'
Tim has been part of the AR community for a number of years now, and we’re delighted to see how it has had a positive impact on his career. Here he shares how our platform has given him more opportunities: “So I have been working with Art Republic since 2018. I was still fairly unknown, so Art Republic was great for me as it helped me open up my style to a wider audience. As soon as I had a few portraits on Art Republic, my followers started going up on Instagram and more galleries started contacting me because they had seen my work. It has really helped me.” To explore Tim’s artworks, click here.
We love how Tim has developed a striking signature colour palette over the years, down to his constant refinement. Tim’s main concern within his work is exploring the colour field. Although vivid, Tim’s works are balanced and calming, using a palette of extremely bright and intense hues makes his work distinctly recognisable.
“So the colours in my work are the main thing that people see and like” says Tim, “this has really helped me build my brand as people will instantly recognise my colour palette. Over the years, I have developed more of a focused palette because I know what colours I like to put together. If you see a bright pink plant then you know it’s a Tim Fowler artwork.” Over the many years of his career, this organic relationship with paint and colour has developed and shines through as he experiments with opacity, texture combinations, finishes and light.
Tim adding hand finishes to his limited edition prints
There’s a strong sense of self in Tim’s art, all the way down to his signature colour palette and use of plants from his heritage. “I can do a piece and there's not a person in the world that can tell me it's wrong, because it's my piece” Tim asserts. “I can do a big black X in the middle of one and people can say it's ruined but I know it's what I wanted to do. I think that ‘Freedom’ is the best word that describes how my work feels. It's a deep seeded feeling that drives me.”
To explore more about Tim’s artwork and discover his stunning limited edition prints, click here.
