Hi and welcome to my September update. ‘Plein Air Painting with Jem Bowden’ … Being the obvious (if self-referential) title for my new Plein Air video which is, at last, now available to buy or hire.  Please have a watch of the trailer on my Video Tuition page, from where you’ll also find links to […]

Time for a round up of some recent plein air adventures. Much of the spring and summer feels a bit lost, passed without enough outdoor adventure or friendly painting meet ups.  But I have managed to get out several times, to places where any other people were at a Covid-safe distance. From the southeast […]

Hello. This blog is a showcase of the work I’ve been sent in response to the ‘challenge’ I set a couple of months ago.  As always there’s some great painting here to see and to learn from, and I hope you enjoyed it if you had a go.  I’ve made a few personal observations on […]

‘Go With The Flow’ – a watercolour conversation For a little bit of light relief, in case you might need it…. This coming Saturday there’s a 24 hour YouTube live broadcast conversation, which along with over 100 painters I’ll be taking part in.  Including many of the world’s best known watercolour artists, it’s […]

Lockdown challenge update (May 11th) DEMO VIDEO HERE:  https://youtu.be/DL7B9Kjo3zg Hello folks. I hope you’re still well and not cracking up, too much. Today I’m setting a new challenge, or rather, a bit of fun for you to have a go at if you like.  There’s no pressure here, and no prize either, but hopefully […]

Dear friends, I sincerely hope this finds you well. Currently, more than anything I am looking forward to seeing exactly how my Hawthorns will grow this year, and watching the birds find benefit from them. Below are a few recent paintings, with a few thoughts on each.  None of which are remarkable at all, and […]

Hi folks, I hope this finds you well. The above painting was done recently as a demo for Seaton & District Art Society. When possible (which is not always) I arrive early at a demo location and find a local scene to do as my ‘main’ painting, usually done in the second half of […]

The winner! Thank you all for your entries to the competition. I have made a few notes alongside each painting, below.  I’m sorry that I can’t deliver a long critique of each. Following the entries is an explanation of how I chose the winner – not at all easy!  But first here […]

Hi folks, Hope you’re well.  Again it’s taken me longer to get around to a new blog post than expected. Amongst other things I’ve been busy with workshops & demos at art groups and elsewhere.  I’ve enjoyed my annual visits to teach at Windrush Gallery (former home of James Fletcher-Watson), East Devon Art Academy […]

Welcome to my second painting competition, where you can win one of my original watercolours Please read on for full information. The reference image This photo is of a scene at West Mersea, Essex, and is the reference image for this competition. (The location is one we might visit during my course at Dedham […]