Leigh Hewson-Bower

Leigh Hewson-Bower, b. 1947

Australian

Born in Melbourne, Leigh Hewson-Bower has a reputation as one of Australia’s finest interpreters of coastal landscapes.   

A graduate of Caulfield Institute of Technology with a Diploma of Fine Arts in Painting, Hewson-Bower moved to Perth in 1983 to help set up a production company for the construction and painting of theatre sets. The years that followed saw him painting backdrops for the Australian Ballet, full sets for the West Australian Ballet and Opera, Australian Opera, and in addition, pursuing a career as an artist, exhibiting at Perth Galleries.

The success of his landscape and seascape paintings has allowed him to devote himself exclusively to his work as an artist.  Hewson-Bower's oeuvre is concerned with the representation of those areas of the natural world that capture the encounter between the isolated tropical backdrops and crystalline waters. Finer details such as reef structures, vegetation shorelines and cloudy skies are key elements in his portrayal of these harmonious natural sceneries. In order to create depth, transparency and realism, Hewson-Bower continuously applies multiple layers of acrylic paint that go from plain to very refined brushstrokes.

Passionate about painting and photography from an early age, Leigh Hewson-Bower’s works are a combination of these two disciplines. “Through the “eye” of the camera, I can explore the possibilities inherent in a landscape, then sift through the images, sometimes combining several until I am satisfied with a final reference” says Hewson-Bower.