Next week in Long island's lush and swanky Southampton, Dix Hills resident John Dowling will be participating in the second annual Hamptons Fine Art Fair – a high-end art event created for avid collectors and investors that’s running from July 14-17 – with his highly in-demand masterpieces of illusionistic, uniquely abstract artwork that is set to fetch anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece from discerning collectors.
But while his newfound success and adulation as an artist is wonderfully fulfilling to him, it also represents the culmination of a hard-fought journey – one that nearly cost Dowling his life – that saw him reinvent and evolve himself numerous times along the way.
Rick Friedman – Hamptons Fine Art Fair founder and executive director – is known for being incredibly picky about whom he lends his endorsements to; however, to illustrate the high esteem that Dowling commands within art circles, Friedman has expressed that he is especially enamored of Dowling's work, referring to him is a "master" of his unique style.
"Mother Nature" by John Dowling. $189,000 42”x58.6” abstract photographic montage on metallic canvas with Spanish gold antique wood frame.
"He's a master colorist, whose abstractions are at the same time inviting, enticing, and playful while being energetic and invigorating," he said. "These powerful pieces certainly hold the wall."
Dowling, a former fitness model turned photographer, first set upon his path to creativity in the 1980’s, when he began experimenting with multiple exposure photography and hand-colored black and white prints. He soon became a very much in-demand photographer, but it wasn’t until a cruel twist of fate – when he was unfortunately diagnosed with an incurable genetic mutation – that he was led upon a pathway to eventually becoming a renowned and very much in-demand artist in his own right.
Dowling noted that his uphill battle to reclaim his health and well-being was, in a roundabout way, one of the main contributing factors to his current artistic success.
"Lunatic Hitchhiker" by John Dowling. $469,000 42”x58.6” abstract photographic montage on metallic canvas with Spanish antique gold wood frame. Mounted and double matted with white/gold.
“I've been forced to reinvent myself many times due to my limitations,” he said. “In 2018 I had three surgeries at St. Francis Hospital…it took me years to recover and I was in so much pain, I really couldn't do much of anything at that time. But while I was going through rehabilitation and on very strong painkillers, I found a sanctuary in painting. It was art therapy for me, and it helped me to escape from the pain, the limitations, and the loneliness of walking daily marathons to grow new arteries where mine were failing due to that genetic mutation.”
Dowling spent his time recovering from his many medical procedures by scanning and painting his photographs as a form of art therapy; later, when visiting friends remarked how taken aback they were by his work, Dowling realized that he was onto something that was very much tangible, and decided to continue pursuing this new and fulfilling endeavor.
Dowling has been acknowledged as an incredibly talented and in-demand artist, attracting the attention of a plethora of celebrities over the years, including Muhammad Ali, Tina Louise, Patti Duke, Billy Joel, Taylor swift, Hulk Hogan, and many more.
Abstract artist John Dowling.
The demand for Dowling's work has grown exponentially; today, the price on editions of his work typically fetch in the neighborhood of $10,000, and the masters – along with the non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and distribution rights – are worth well over $150,000 each, if not more.
Dowling noted that the appeal of his artwork is due to the layers contained within; he describes his style as containing "secrets within mysteries within secrets," meaning that the significance of each piece can change depending on the eye of the beholder; each viewer has different perceptions of what they are observing. It is a unique technique that leads viewers to have false affirmations of what they see, as well as challenges to the conscious mind to see what actually exists. The term for this psychological effect is scotomisation, and these shapes, patterns, and illusions often lead to the viewer working to find objects in his pieces and to instances when the individual has a “eureka moment” or epiphany.
Over time, Dowling has opened up his artistic viewpoint, collaborating with a number of other creators from around the world – from locations as diverse as Dubai to Bulgaria – and combining their works with his own, fashioning wholly unique and diverse pieces of art that truly call to the soul of the viewer.
He’s also become an outspoken advocate of the value of art investment, especially when it comes to work being produced by up and coming creators.
"No Parking" by John Dowling. $249,000 42”x58.6” abstract photographic montage on metallic canvas with black contemporary wood frame.
“It's important to invest in and acquire artists who have just gotten on the radar of the elite galleries and collectors, because it's still a great bargain at that time,” he said. “Just look at Mike “Beeple” Winkelmann, his pieces first sold for hundreds of dollars, but more recently he sold two pieces for tens of millions. Every collector of his original work made thousands of multiples in returns. That same opportunity may exist with my masterpieces today.”
But Dowling’s pathway to becoming a prominent – and extraordinarily in-demand – artist has led him to being a featured creator at this year’s Hamptons Fine Art Fair, which is set to run from July 14-17 in Southhampton, where his works are expected to fetch impressive sums of money from the many collectors in attendance.
Dowling expressed his thankfulness for his newfound art career, describing it as a “miracle” and attributing it to a higher power looking over him.
"Abstract Seduction" by John Dowling. $39,950 42”x58.6” abstract photographic montage on metallic museum quality archive paper with wood frame.
“Art really served as a spiritual awakening for me. It's something bigger than I am…this is beyond me, this is a miracle,” he said. “People are treating me like I'm some sort of savant, a creative genius, but while I feel like I've always had these skills, I've never brought my digital abstractions this far along before. It's something that I'm very grateful to have discovered, and I can't wait to see where this will take me.”
To find out more about John Dowling, please visit his website at https://johnjosephdowlingjr.com. To find out more about the Hamptons Fine Art Fair, please visit https://hamptonsfineartfair.com.