Marilyn Bowles
Originals

Learning on her own, beginning with her coloring book days, Marilyn has always been involved in creating artwork. At one time she was doing commercial artwork and cartooning for newspapers. She was later employed at Hallmark Cards, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri where her talent with watercolor came into good use. After acquiring her first set of oils, she put her watercolors away and taught herself the "whys" and "hows" of oil painting. Then came her study of pastels and acrylics. All of these different mediums gave her a base for expanding her skills in portrait and landscape work to include western and wildlife subjects.

Marilyn was one of the 'original' three people involved in bringing the newly formed Graphic Arts Department to life at Continental Oil Company whose headquarters were Ponca City, Oklahoma. .She was a Graphic Artist there for 12 years. At first the artwork was interspersed with assignment to map and spot oil wells. When the art work became a full-time position within six months, she became involved in producing the company employee's newspaper, with designing and executing slides, pamphlet and booklets to support departmental presentations and on occasion doing portraits of some of the company executives.

Coming from the Midwest, Marilyn has been fascinated by the very different beauty of the Northwest. From the states of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma with their huge skies, wide open spaces and minimal landscape changes to a very diverse landscape has proven to be a good thing. With the mountains, lakes, rivers and streams so nearby and easily reached, the past 25 years in Idaho have been a well of inspiration for this artist.

Memberships:
·     Signature Member of Oil Painters of America
·     Idaho Watercolor Society
.     Northwest Watercolor Society
.     Oregon Pastel Society
·     Northwest Pastel Society
·     American Plains Artists

Selected Awards & Exhibitions:
2003
Idaho Watercolor Society....Strathmore Company Award and Winsor & Newton Award
River City Gallery, Post Falls, ID.....Two artist exhibit
Western Art Assm...Ellensburg, WA
2002
Oil Painters of America National Exhibit, Chicago, IL
Western Art Assn...Ellensburg, WA
Idaho Watercolor Society, Boise, ID....Purchase Prize
2001
Western Art Assn, Ellensburg, WA
American Plains Artist, Midland, TX
Art of the Green, Coeur D'Alene, ID
....and so much more.

Bird Art
Index