Fiona Dowdee - Contemporary Painter

     My artistic practice is most often large-scale oil paintings on canvas that demand attention from the viewer. I use oil paint to bring a classical style to my work. Each time I touch oil paint to canvas it is as if I am following in the footsteps of past artists. I use small soft brushes to create a thinness of paint that disguises the marks of the artist in favor of the subjects likeness. When painting I create an artistic rendition which resembles the subject as closely as possible, blurring the lines between art and life.

     I paint my friends and people who inspire me, the youth of today. I paint my generation in a realistic, bold, and confrontational way. The subject’s eye contact or lack thereof being the focal point of the composition.

 My generation has been called apathetic and selfish, a categorization that we prove wrong on a daily basis. This is why I portray the youth in a confidant pose with direct eye contact to rebel against these generalizations.

     I find that I can use portraiture, which traditionally has been a tool for the elite to show wealth and power, to create a juxtaposition between traditional styles and contemporary ideas: an adolescent subject that demands to be recognized and demands a future. The subject stares directly into the eyes of the viewer as if to defy their judgment. 

Sun jam, Resin Gallery

2022

Moon jam, Resin Gallery

2021

Cypress Block party, Resin Gallery

2020

Industry of meaning, Resin Gallery

Art of giving, Resin Gallery

2019

2021 - 2022 

Pratt Institute

Love South Bay style

2022

2022