Sho-Jen Dowell

I’m a Cambridge-based artist who studied Art in Taiwan, and started formal art training at a very young age. Before I entered Art school, I had already been schooled in both Chinese and western artistic disciplines.

Chinese literature always speaks to me. Buddhist teaching and Taoist philosophy enhance both my thought, and my brush stroke! I’ve enjoyed giving dozens of Chinese Ink and calligraphy demo’s and workshops to art societies across our region. Now I take great pleasure in the influence of Chinese calligraphy on my painting stroke and the way my work is created.

Although having trained formally in both eastern and western artistic traditions, and become familiar with a wide range of media, I use whatever styles and materials feel right. Experimentation is at the heart of what I do, and a belief there should be no boundaries between eastern and western traditions. I find inspiration through artistic deconstruction, taking elements from disparate sources and combining them into a single image. Child-like innocent spontaneous experimentation drives my art work. My art often tells a story or recalls a memory – places I’ve been, things that have touched me. The theme of ‘Hope’ is often represented somewhere in my images, even when at first glance this may not be apparent.

Just as traditional, realistic depiction no longer satisfies me, my works don’t obviously reveal their inspiration. Rather, the meanings of my work are often found in the juxtaposition and composition of its elements: I like to let the viewer discover their own meanings, whilst searching for mine.

Website: www.shojen.art