Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Dowling.
Hi Tom, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a product of the boomer generation, which seems to be a punchline nowadays, but it meant I was part of a lively group of kids that lived through all the glory of the hippie days and lived to talk about it. I grew up in North Hollywood, and in my teens, I gravitated toward the entertainment industry, working in TV, film, and music venues for about ten years while I went to art school. Ultimately, art won out over all those other interests, and I’ve been an exhibiting artist for almost fifty years.
My art education and my life experiences in Southern California left their mark on me. The particular types of minimal art that emerged here, Hard Edge & California Light and Space, influence my aesthetic.
After my formal education (B.A. UCSB, M.F.A, UC Irvine), I taught art at colleges and universities around Southern California, then had stints teaching in England, Ireland, and Italy; throughout all that, I was a working artist, showing paintings, sculptures, and constructions in museums and galleries. Teaching and exhibiting simultaneously anchored me in a community of artists. I found my tribe amongst those academics and creatives. That alone is the definition of success to me.
Today, I maintain working studios in Orange County, CA, and West Cork, Ireland. I have dual citizenship, so this allows me to work, live, and exhibit in both countries.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was raised by a single-parent mom with little assets or financial security. I had to start working at 15 to support myself and then to pay for my college education. Out of this came two careers: a teaching career to live on and a working artist profession to fulfill my creative ambitions. In essence, I’ve been working two full-time jobs most of my life.
I’ve endured many economic ups and downs. During downturns it’s always art that feels the pressure before any other sector. I always knew being an artist was a long-term endeavor, and that has proven to be true. Since art school, I’ve always maintained a studio, often in warehouses in cities across the southland. If the majority of my museum or teaching work was in Orange County, or if it was in LA, then that’s where I had a studio.
A low point was in 1990, when the economy, particularly the art market, went into a recession. I was forced to close my Downtown LA Arts District studio and wait it out. I ended up living on a small sailboat for nearly three years, where I created compact works of art at my galley table. I went from a three thousand square foot studio to a tabletop around two feet square. Adversity led to creativity, even in the leanest of times. Shortly after my stint on the sailboat, I obtained a series of teaching positions in Europe, and although I didn’t have a permanent studio to work in during those five years teaching abroad, I was creating experiences that helped inform my life as an artist and teacher.
Though my path was pretty bumpy, I’m pleased to say I eventually landed in a good place, but it’s taken years to establish my practice and to find a sense of security. I have reached a certain place where I fill my days in my studio and travel frequently for career and family purposes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My paintings and sculpture come out of my engagement with literature, architecture, and, of course, the visual arts. My core inspiration has come from early abstract influences, particularly Cubism, Constructivism, and the Bauhaus philosophy of art making. I like to say that I have conversations with the artists of these eras. I don’t duplicate; I extend the ideas and processes of Modernism. My shaped series, “Baroque Minimalism” is directly influenced by these earlier art movements. My “Cantos” reference the literature of Dante’s Human Comedy; my sculptures and constructions are as much about architecture as they are geometric abstraction. Early personal influences came from my instructors and from artists that helped establish the LA Art world. I am especially indebted to Tony Delap. Craig Kauffman and other Hard Edge painters were also my first teachers.
1975 was the first year my art hung on the walls of a museum, and it’s been forty-plus years of constant exhibitions, performances, and installations in galleries both in the States and in Europe. Along the way, I have curated shows of other artist’s work, penned some catalogs, and written essays about mentors and visionaries. I’ve been blessed with an inordinate amount of energy and a work ethic that helped me to produce a large body of work. I’m always looking for gallery representation and scholarly reviews, and in a world that always seems to be chasing the hot, hip, and fashionable, I relish being included in scenes that celebrate the long game, the big story, and the seasoned artist.
After so many years of showing in the US, I have established, through my Irish citizenship, a studio in West Cork, Ireland, and have recently been working to create connections within the art community there. It’s amazing that a poor scrappy boy from North Hollywood could work his whole life in the LA and Orange County art scenes and then have the opportunity to expand a career and create a new audience in his family’s ancestral homeland.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I’ve lived in and around the LA Metropolitan area since 1954. I’ve seen a lot of changes, both good and bad over those years. What I have always liked is the creative heart of LA – the diversity in the arts and entertainment have been the lifeblood of the city. You pair that with the physical environment of Southern California, and you’ve arrived pretty close to paradise. With the availability of culture here, the whole world wants to come to LA to see the magic, and we have the great fortune to be in the midst of it daily. In one day, you can see great art, a theater performance, live music, and ogle unique architecture. Or you can do the natural trifecta and start off at the beach, ski in the mountains in the afternoon, and be in the desert by evening. What other place allows you that experience?
What I dislike, and I think I share this with most people, is the amount of traffic. It’s difficult to traverse the city without sitting on the freeway or searching for elusive parking. I wish we had a better mass transit system. It becomes a barrier sometimes when you consider driving into the city and how long it will take just to physically move from place to place. The homelessness and poverty that are pervasive factors in the heart of downtown are also a perennial problems. But LA is a mecca, everyone believes that their lives will be better here. I hope that’s true for all someday.
Over the years, the art scene in LA has gone from regional importance to world importance. I believe LA has become the premier city for the visual arts in the world. Having said that, between the internet, the pandemic, and the economy, it’s been hard to maintain the tradition of small galleries and intimate viewing. The super-gallery seems to be doing fine peddling their tight roster of artists, but the smaller and medium size independent galleries are struggling to survive in this environment. Art is a hard business, whether you are the artist making it or the gallerist trying to sell it. I wish it wasn’t so fragile. That said, it’s great to be a small fish in this big pond. It’s great to be a part of the cultural conversation.
Pricing:
- Sculptures range from $2000-$6000
- Small paintings and constructions range from $2000-$4000
- Large paintings and constructions range from $4000-$8000
- Collage and drawings range from $1500-$3000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tomdowling.com
- Instagram: @tomdowling_artist
- Facebook: Tom Dowling, Artist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-dowling-10995538/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/PnFiFAY6N2Y
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Tony Pinto Photo Credits: Lisa Dowling
