A Naked Man Suntanning On A Rock, 2012 (Acrylic on canvas, 22” x 28”)If Only We Could Pretend To Be Something Else, 2012 (Acrylic on canvas, 22” x 28”)
These two new pieces by my son, Julian Bowers, are clean, quiet and peaceful, yet they still have the powerful and voracious exploration found in his previous work.
This is india ink with brush on paper. The image I tore out of the sketchbook a little carelessly. I wasn’t aiming for any realistic effort as 1) that’s beyond me and 2) I should embrace the style I have. Yes, the painting is of a nude woman waking up. Yes, I know that subject’s been done to death, but it just occurred naturally for me to do that. Also, what’s a more classic (read: cliché) subject to use in trying to develop one’s style? Hands and faces I guess I’m still uncomfortable with. But why? The whole thing looks skewed as well, what harm would distorted looking hands and faces do? Probably a bit, who knows. - Julian Bowers
Stay tuned for a blog post on Julian’s band Sleuth, as they prep for their trip to New York!
Sleuth (photo by Victoria Johnson). L to R: Julian Bowers, Jainy Lastoria, Oliver McTavish-Wisden, Jesse Leon Easter
I love these kids. Yes, one of them happens to be my son, Julian, so duh, but seriously, I absolutely love watching SLEUTH, the band, develop.
Self-described as two nerds, one charismatic, one giant–and all four are looking about for clues with delicate resistance to art school etiquette without being artless or heartless, Sleuth’s members are The Lion in Love, Julian Bowers, Oliver McTavish-Wisden, and Jesse Easter.
And “things are happening!” as my daughter, Anna, would say!
Brave Knew Nothing by Sleuth was recorded on an island in Washington state in a forest next to the ocean, by three naive and earnest Canadians with the aid of a wise sage. The music explores indiepop tropes with a backlog of literary, artistic and musical references to supporting soulful lyrics. The group of friends came together in early 2010 featuring The Lion in Love on guitar, vocals with Julian Bowers on drums, guitar and Oliver McTavish-Wisden on keys and later, Jesse Easter on bass. Having quickly amassed a selection of songs to be recorded 8 months later produced by Jherek Bischoff (The Parenthetical Girls, Dead Science), the music is now available on a limited cassette or download: