Andrea Kowch, 1986 | Symbolist painter

Andrea Kowch has been described as "a powerful voice emerging, demonstrating a highly sensitive consciousness that informs a culturally-laced Symbolism".

Born in Michigan, she attended Detroit's College for Creative Studies through a Walter B. Ford II Scholarship, and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2009 with a BFA degree in illustration.

Her paintings, book illustrations, and works on paper are rich in mood, allegory, and precision of medium, reflecting a wealth of influences from Northern Renaissance and American art to the rural landscapes and vernacular architecture of her native Michigan.

The stories and inspiration behind her paintings “stem from life’s emotions and experiences, resulting in narrative, allegorical imagery that illustrates the parallels between human experience and the mysteries of the natural world.

The lonely, desolate American landscape encompassing the paintings’ subjects serves as an exploration of nature’s sacredness and a reflection of the human soul, symbolizing all things powerful, fragile, and eternal.

Real yet dreamlike scenarios transform personal ideas into universal metaphors for the human condition, all retaining a sense of vagueness to encourage dialogue between art and viewer”.

Kowch has already received numerous honors in her young career commencing in 2003, at age 17, with seven regional Gold Key Awards and two national Gold Medal awards from the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program for creative teens.

Her acceptance into these juried national exhibitions earned her representation at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. in 2003 and at the Diane von Furstenberg Gallery in New York in 2004.

By 2005, she was granted a National ARTS in the Visual Arts Award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (now the National Young Arts Foundation), an honor which ranks recipients in the top 2% of American talent. The winning entries were exhibited at the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, Miami.

In 2008, Kowch received the Best of Show Purchase Award from the Northbrook Library’s annual juried international exhibition, and in the same year received an Illustration Faculty Award from the College for Creative Studies.

Works by Kowch have been exhibited at museums and galleries and at invitational and juried shows of regional, national and international caliber, including the Muskegon Museum of Art, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, ArtPrize and the Northville Art House, all in Michigan; Art Basel Miami and SCOPE NYC.

She has also been featured in and graced the front covers of several publications, including Spectrum and Direct Art - art annuals that select artworks through international jury - american Art Collector, Revue, and Southwest Art’s annual competition whose winners take center stage in their Emerging Artist Spotlight issue. Kowch’s work can be found in public collections, among them the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Northbrook Library, Northbrook, Illinois, and the Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, New York; and in many significant private collections.

She is represented exclusively by Richard J. Demato Fine Arts Gallery in New York.

Andrea Kowch è stata descritta come "una voce potente che emerge, che dimostra una coscienza altamente sensibile che informa un simbolismo culturalmente intrecciato".

Nata nel Michigan, ha frequentato il College for Creative Studies di Detroit grazie a una borsa di studio Walter B. Ford II e si è laureata Summa Cum Laude nel 2009 con un BFA in illustrazione.

I suoi dipinti, illustrazioni di libri ed opere su carta sono ricchi di atmosfera, allegoria e precisione del mezzo, riflettendo una ricchezza di influenze dal Rinascimento settentrionale e dall'arte americana ai paesaggi rurali ed all'architettura vernacolare del suo nativo Michigan.