Exclusive Interview with Andrea Kowch, Musonium Grand Prize Award Winner of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, interview by Richard Purssey for Issue 47
Welcome to the world of American painter Andrea Kowch, the Musonium Grand Prize Award winner of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize. Andrea’s life, and works, are based around the wide open spaces of the American Midwest or the storm-swept shores of the Great Lakes. However, unlike the works of the American realists of the 1930s and 40s that so inspired her – Andrew Wyeth, Thomas Hart Benton, and Grant Wood among them – Andrea has become a master of Imaginative Realism, bringing her own unique flavour to this modern take on the genre.
As I move through life, growing, evolving, experiencing, and making my way as an artist and as a person – all the feelings and states of mind that reflect and are inspired by those various moments in my life, contribute to the creation of my paintings.
While echoing stylistically the realists’ work in the first half of the 20th century, even to the manner of dress of the subjects, Andrea’s paintings are full of surrealistic allegory to allow the modern viewer to relate. Her “weaving the various narratives with touches of whimsy, humour, and curious occurrences”, often based on her own experiences, draws us into a world that is at once unfamiliar and relatable.
With many honours and awards gained for her art, from her early days in high school to this most recent Grand Prize, works held in the permanent collections of museums, and a legion of admirers and avid collectors from around the world, I am certain that you will find Andrea’s world as enchanting as we do.
Exclusive interview with Andrea Kowch
Congratulations on being selected as the Grand Prize winner of the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize! How did you feel when you learned that you had won, and what do you hope that your win means for your practice? I have been joyously speechless since receiving the news!
Thank you so much! I am beyond thrilled, honoured, and humbled to be selected as the winner of this incredible, esteemed Art Prize, and have found it difficult to articulate all the delightful feelings being experienced as a result of it all. It stands as a validating testament that all the years and endless hours of hard work put into every paint stroke do not go unnoticed, and to achieve and feel that level of validation and appreciation is arguably one of the greatest feelings in the world.
I feel immensely privileged to be selected out of so many talented, professional artists by the Jury Panel. It is my hope that more art lovers will see my art as a result, and hopefully find something special to think about, or add to their collection, or perhaps look forward to purchasing my first full-sized coffee table book being released in early 2025, which will encompass over 75 paintings and sketches, spanning my career over the past 16 years from 2007, up to 2023.
My mind and spirit, during its inception and process, was very open and in tune with a new frequency. Is the storm upon the horizon approaching or departing? What, or Who, might this storm be? What transference does it carry? Will it strike down or dissipate as swiftly as it arrives? My duality was awakened, with the real and unreal merging as one. I was reminded that yin and yang energy is ever-present in all things
Please tell us about the work you submitted to the Art Prize, In the Distance. What were your thoughts and inspiration when creating this painting and why you entered this work in particular?
In The Distance has grown to become my most popular painting, which has been deeply gratifying to witness, for it is one of my own personal favourites as well. Many have described it as a window to another place and time, a dreamlike escape from the lives we lead today. My feelings behind the imagery centred on how various experiences in our lives can serve as a flaming catalyst that alters reality in a flash.
My mind and spirit, during its inception and process, was very open and in tune with a new frequency. Is the storm upon the horizon approaching or departing? What, or Who, might this storm be? What transference does it carry? Will it strike down or dissipate as swiftly as it arrives? My duality was awakened, with the real and unreal merging as one. I was reminded that yin and yang energy is ever-present in all things.
The male presence reveals how my paintings evolve with me, imparting experiences and lessons learned. The woman baking rouses from a reverie, alerted to distant thunder and a sudden electric charge that cuts the air. Two men feverishly harvest wheat, the source of her bread. Their daring presence in the open path of the elements, ready to combat, simultaneously ignites opposing feelings of danger and safety. The horizon implies an unknown destiny. This work is a testament to the divine power of two halves creating a whole.
I have been an artist my whole life, and have always been enticed by figurative art and creating my own visual narratives. I became quite serious about painting very young, after I had gotten my first canvas and set of acrylic paints and began getting engrossed in art books. I would make countless, intricately coloured drawings of scenes and people, often creating detailed illustrations to accompany my school literature assignments.
What was your process for creating In the Distance, from conception to finished work?
In the Distance was conceived from an idea that flashed in my mind one day, like a snapshot, in its entirety, sans the men in the field. The decision to ultimately introduce the male form came long after I had already begun painting the work. My original concept was for this to be a single-figure piece, however, as time went on, I suddenly kept picturing a dear friend of mine as a character in the background, and thus the course of my work was altered. His form soon came to symbolise everything I admire and appreciate about the men I respect in my life and the roles they play in it.
This invited much new reflection on my part, and upon these reflections, the narrative of the entire composition and environment itself also became a metaphorical representation of my life as it currently stood at the time – a one-woman act working to maintain the balancing act of her life – her adulthood, her life’s work, her relationships, the seemingly endless race against time, change, her fears, her desires, her endurance, her sense of self, her sense of honour and duty, her dreams, her consciousness and awareness, her evolution and destiny – and her endless concern for the wellbeing and safety of those who offer her protection (represented here by the men in the field).
It’s always very interesting for me to identify and piece together the various puzzles of my subconscious after I create a painting, and gain a clearer picture of myself. The process leading up to its completion was long, late hours, for several weeks that turned into months, and the passion under which it developed was unmatched to most of the other paintings I’ve done. I felt every inch of this painting deeply, and purely, and the time spent working on it was filled with electrifying moments of excitement and energy that to this day, remains unsurpassed. It was a supernatural experience in several ways.
It was one of the times in my life where I felt so authentically connected to myself, and therefore I believe that energy is what has been carried through and responsible for its success and popularity among viewers. I feel truly blessed to have experienced, created, and watched its public reception reach the levels it has, and I couldn’t feel prouder and more amazed by it all.
Could you tell us more about your background as an artist, what are your earliest memories of creating art and who your early inspirations were?
I have been an artist my whole life, and have always been enticed by figurative art and creating my own visual narratives. I became quite serious about painting very young, after I had gotten my first canvas and set of acrylic paints and began getting engrossed in art books. I would make countless, intricately coloured drawings of scenes and people, often creating detailed illustrations to accompany my school literature assignments.
Growing up, I was very drawn to the works of Whistler, Waterhouse, Klimt, and Bouguereau before I became aware of and formed my deep connection to Renaissance and American art. It was from these artists that I first began practising painting around the age of 11, closely studying images of their works in my art books, and trying as hard as I could to emulate their technical skill and romantic style of realism.
It wasn’t until high school that I realised this is something I loved to do and felt truly destined to do, and from that moment I set my sights on pursuing art as my college and career route. I knew I always loved painting above anything else, and so my choice to follow that passion at all costs, evolved very naturally as a result. Art chose me.
Once I came full circle after ample experimentation and settled on the subject matter that I realised as authentically me, I was then opened up to the world of American realism, for I immediately discovered that I shared a like minded spirit and viewpoint of the world.
I believe a part of each chapter in my learning followed me and merged with what I’m currently doing, creating an intense symphony of all that I was and am yet to become. The past 14 years have been a beautiful whirlwind and a dream come true, from successful gallery shows, to being exhibited in and acquired by art museums. Each and every one of these moments is absolutely worth the endless hours of hard work in the studio. I give thanks every day for the amazing and fulfilling journey I’m on, for the amazing people who now grace my life, and for the fortunate opportunities that have come and continue to come my way.
Each painting is also fundamentally an extension of me, serving as an indirect, metaphorical self-portrait of sorts, driven by my own life experiences and interpretations of them.
Your style is very allegorical, with a multitude of stories to be found in your own surrealistic take on American Realism. Are these all driven by your own experiences, or are you making a wider commentary on the American Midwest?
I suppose it is a bit of both. The landscape of America is infinite and diverse, and the Midwest represents a composure unique to itself, unremittingly present as the setting for my pictorial dramas. A fascination with weather and the Midwest’s ever changing moods of Mother Nature figure prominently to parallel and illustrate deeper layers of my visual narratives. It further gives viewers the opportunity to identify, engage, and weave their own stories into the webs spun out of my dreamlike worlds. The power and the freedom of the weather to be itself, as we all strive to seek, but rarely achieve, is expressed powerfully, and the hair is but one way to further express its impending and omnipresent activity in the settings and environments within my paintings.
Each painting is also fundamentally an extension of me, serving as an indirect, metaphorical self-portrait of sorts, driven by my own life experiences and interpretations of them. As I move through life, growing, evolving, experiencing, and making my way as an artist and as a person – all the feelings and states of mind that reflect and are inspired by those various moments in my life, contribute to the creation of my paintings. The quiet, remote, melancholy quality and unspoken mystery of pastoral places forever draws me in and inspires me to muse about them and form my visual stories. As a native Midwesterner, it’s in my soul.
Often the move to being a career artist involves the development of a relationship with a representing gallery, such as you have with RJD Gallery in Romeo, Michigan. How did this partnership happen for you, and what would your advice be to an emerging artist looking for a similar connection?
Timing is important, and then there is fate. The RJD Gallery was founded by Richard Demato, in New York in late 2009, and he reached out to me in January and he reached out to me in January 2010.
At the time, Richard was the President of The Retreat for many years, a non-profit dedicated to providing safety, shelter, and support to victims of domestic violence, and had opened the gallery to cultivate donors, raise funds, and create awareness for them. He was new to the art industry, but had spent 28 years in the global fashion business and had a very creative eye and point of view.
In his search to find art he related to and hoped to represent, he turned to art publications, and in that process, discovered my painting, No Turning Back, in Spectrum: The Best In Contemporary Fantastic Art, Volume 16. Intrigued and immediately drawn to my work, he sent me an email, which was followed by our first phone conversation the next day, on, coincidentally, my birthday.
After we connected, I sent him Rural Sisters shortly thereafter, and they were sold upon their arrival for much more than I anticipated. That was the beginning of a very special journey for us. The first thing I would suggest to emerging artists is always stay open to chance, and do the research and potentially review who else is exhibiting in the gallery. You will eventually find one that has similar emotionally driven artwork, and also find one where your prices “fit in” to their collector niche base.
That fit is pivotal to the mutual synergy and success for all involved. Potentially contact a few of the artists and ask of their experience. You should also research the gallery’s reputation and standing within the industry. The art world, unlike many other businesses, is relatively unregulated and has few rules. Find one that understands your art, is trustworthy, and can talk about it with the passion you both envision, seek, and deserve.
By the time this issue goes to press your work will have been revealed for our Paracosmic Escape exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco. What can you tell us about this new work, and other plans for the future?
This new painting was actually conceptualised several years ago, in 2017, and not begun until years later.
The setting is born from a physical place that I would visit frequently growing up, when I was in the process of discovering and developing into the person I am today. As a whole, it is largely symbolic of this. The windswept hair and luminescent flesh, and dream-like trance enveloping the female protagonist in this new work, is, like in my preceding works such as Light Keepers, intended to evoke the qualities of angels, ghostly spirits, or guides; light beings that enchant and guide us through our dreams and life voyages. The inner light that always leads us to our destiny. The women in these works interchangeably represent all the varying degrees of these dynamics.