SUU´s ART INSIGHTS TO HOST FINE AND COMMERCIAL ARTIST COLT BOWDEN @ SUU (Cedar City, Nov. 21, 7pm)

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: Utah native Colt Bowden has a firm foothold in both fine and commercial arts. His creativity and skill set as an illustrator have led to a portfolio that is saturated with both creative ingenuity and commercial viability. A self-proclaimed sign painter, skateboarder, and illustrator, Bowden will be the featured artist at SUU´s Department of Art & Design´s weekly series, Art Insights on November 21, 2013. The presentation will take place in Section JK of SUU´s Centrum Arena on Thursday, November 21, 2013, at 7pm. Admission is free and the general public is invited to attend.

Originally from Magna, Utah, Colt Bowden spent part of his childhood in Maryland and moved to Brea, California after high school to pursue his art. After returning from a church mission to Hawaii in 2007, Bowden worked on the celebrated children´s television show Yo Gabba Gabba!, and later moved to Salt Lake City to finish his schooling at BYU. "The nature of Bowden´s art is time consuming and may seem like an anachronism in our digitally-fueled world. It is that very reason he chooses media that makes one slow down, embrace gradual methods of construction and command an attention to the integrity of skillfully crafted detail." (SLUG Magazine).

Bowden owns operates a 1930s Vandercook letterpress, with which he make linocuts, wood type, and hand drawn imagery. He is a skilled in lettering, sign design, also works in folk-art styles-train and hobo related subject matter mostly, bearded faces painted on old skateboards, 2x4s, and the sides of boxcars." Bowden says his art has a "Great Depression-1920s to early 1940s look, back when doing things by hand was at its peak." In a world that is now over-saturated with mechanical reproduction, Bowden gracefully resorts back to the old ways. Learn more on Bowden´s website, http://coltbowden.com/.

Art Insights is a weekly program hosted during the fall and spring semesters by SUU´s Art and Design faculty. Students and community members meet to experience presentations and discussions by visiting artists and art educators from around the nation who share their work and insights and attend gallery openings. Admission is free, and the general public is invited to attend.

This installment of Art Insights is a perfect opportunity for southern Utah artists and residents to learn from an emerging artist in both the fine and commercial realms. For more information on the SUU College of Performing and Visual Arts events, please call the Arts Hotline at (435) 865-8800, or visit www.suu.edu/pva/arts.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE

Southern Utah University´s College of Performing and Visual Arts is home to nationally-accredited departments of Art and Design, Music, Theatre Arts, and Dance. The College offers 17 degrees, including liberal arts Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science, professional Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and theatre, and Arts Administration Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts. It houses the Center for Shakespeare Studies, which offers a degree minor. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff teach and mentor over 550 arts majors. Over 1100 students enroll each year in more than 195 arts classes. The College presents 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions annually.  Its affiliate organizations include the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, American Folk Ballet, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the SUU Ballroom Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, contact the Office of the Dean (435) 865-8561, or by e-mail at cpvamktg@suu.edu.