Untitled (Earthflow Horizon), c.1980s, by American abstract artist Don Bowman (b.1934), is a signed 36 × 26 in. oil on paper acquired in New York City and created using his signature free-flow oil technique.
Untitled (Earthflow Horizon) is a rare and atmospheric vintage oil on paper by Don Bowman, whose signature free-flow technique produces layered, translucent bands of color that resemble shifting landscapes, sedimentary formations, or abstract horizons. In this composition, soft tones of taupe, sand, stone gray, cream, and muted gold sweep across the surface in arcing strata, creating a calm yet dynamic sense of geological motion. A translucent central column rises like light breaking through cloud or canyon—one of Bowman’s most evocative and nature-driven abstractions. Signed at the lower right and acquired in New York, this 36 × 26 in. masterpiece exemplifies Bowman’s mature 1970s–80s period, where abstraction, landscape memory, and fluid color interplay converge into a one-of-a-kind visual experience.
DETAILED ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
Untitled (Earthflow Horizon) unfolds like a geological cross-section rendered in soft, fluid motion. Undulating bands of muted brown, taupe, gold, sandstone, pearl, and gray sweep horizontally across the composition, forming curved strata reminiscent of canyon walls, riverbeds, or wind-shaped dunes. A pale vertical plume emerges from the center—part light beam, part geological pillar—giving the piece a quiet, monumental presence.
Created in the 1980s, this work employs Bowman’s hallmark free-flow oil technique, where highly diluted oil pigments are poured and guided across heavyweight paper. The artist manipulates the movement using gravity and subtle gestures, allowing pigment to pool, crest, and feather naturally. The resulting forms possess both organic authenticity and meditative stillness.
The inspiration for this work draws from Bowman’s long-standing fascination with natural structures—not through literal representation, but through memory, motion, and atmospheric suggestion. The soft striations evoke earth layers formed over time, while the graceful curves conjure wind-carved stone or the horizon line of a quiet desert landscape. Bowman’s process transforms the physical properties of paint into visual metaphors for geological time, movement, and the quiet rhythms of the natural world.
Signed “Don Bowman” in pencil at the lower right, the signature matches verified examples from his mature period.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — DON BOWMAN (American, b.1934)
Don Bowman, born in 1934 in St. Louis, Missouri, is an American abstract painter celebrated for his fluid oil-on-paper abstractions and his pioneering method of manipulating diluted pigment through gravity and controlled motion. He studied at Lincoln University in Missouri, where training in both commercial and fine art laid the technical foundation for his later innovations.
During the 1960s–70s, Bowman explored screen printing, illustration, watercolor, and mixed media, gradually refining a visual language built on translucency, organic structure, and atmospheric flow. His breakthrough came with the development of the free-flow oil technique, a process involving highly diluted oil paint on heavyweight paper. By tilting and guiding the sheet, Bowman created soft feathered gradients, layered veils of color, and forms that evoke natural rhythms—plumes, petals, waves, geological contours—while remaining distinctly abstract.
Bowman exhibited throughout California, Missouri, and New York, and his works entered numerous private and corporate collections. His style is frequently associated with lyrical abstraction, organic color-field painting, and paper-based expressionism. Despite the apparent softness of his compositions, Bowman’s practice is rooted in precise timing, technical intuition, and deep understanding of material behavior.
Works like Untitled (Earthflow Horizon) reveal Bowman’s gift for transforming pigment into atmospheric motion—a balance of spontaneity and discipline that defines his contribution to late 20th-century American abstraction.
Don Bowman (American, b.1934)
Untitled (Earthflow Horizon), c.1980s
Oil on paper, 36 × 26 in.
Signed “Don Bowman,” lower right.
Earth-tone abstract composition with layered taupe, cream, gray, and golden bands flowing across a central horizon, created using Bowman’s signature free-flow oil technique. Excellent example of his landscape-inflected abstractions. Very good vintage condition.
Provenance: NYC acquisition; Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Don Bowman (American, b.1934)
Title: Untitled (Earthflow Horizon) (attributed)
Date: c.1980s
Medium: Oil on paper
Dimensions: 36 × 26 in.
Signature: Signed “Don Bowman,” lower right
Description:
A sophisticated abstract composition featuring layered earth-tone bands resembling geological strata or a desert horizon, executed using Bowman’s signature free-flow oil technique.
Authenticity:
The signature, palette, materials, and technique correspond with authenticated works by Don Bowman from the same period.
Condition:
Very good vintage condition with normal minor age toning. No tears, losses, or structural concerns. Suitable for archival framing.
Provenance:
Don Bowman (Artist Studio)
Private Collection, New York City (acquired c.1980s)
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)
PROVENANCE CHAIN
Artist Studio — Don Bowman
Private Collection, New York City (1980s acquisition)
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)
Untitled (Earthflow Horizon), c.1980s, by American abstract artist Don Bowman (b.1934), is a signed 36 × 26 in. oil on paper acquired in New York City and created using his signature free-flow oil technique.
Untitled (Earthflow Horizon) is a rare and atmospheric vintage oil on paper by Don Bowman, whose signature free-flow technique produces layered, translucent bands of color that resemble shifting landscapes, sedimentary formations, or abstract horizons. In this composition, soft tones of taupe, sand, stone gray, cream, and muted gold sweep across the surface in arcing strata, creating a calm yet dynamic sense of geological motion. A translucent central column rises like light breaking through cloud or canyon—one of Bowman’s most evocative and nature-driven abstractions. Signed at the lower right and acquired in New York, this 36 × 26 in. masterpiece exemplifies Bowman’s mature 1970s–80s period, where abstraction, landscape memory, and fluid color interplay converge into a one-of-a-kind visual experience.
DETAILED ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
Untitled (Earthflow Horizon) unfolds like a geological cross-section rendered in soft, fluid motion. Undulating bands of muted brown, taupe, gold, sandstone, pearl, and gray sweep horizontally across the composition, forming curved strata reminiscent of canyon walls, riverbeds, or wind-shaped dunes. A pale vertical plume emerges from the center—part light beam, part geological pillar—giving the piece a quiet, monumental presence.
Created in the 1980s, this work employs Bowman’s hallmark free-flow oil technique, where highly diluted oil pigments are poured and guided across heavyweight paper. The artist manipulates the movement using gravity and subtle gestures, allowing pigment to pool, crest, and feather naturally. The resulting forms possess both organic authenticity and meditative stillness.
The inspiration for this work draws from Bowman’s long-standing fascination with natural structures—not through literal representation, but through memory, motion, and atmospheric suggestion. The soft striations evoke earth layers formed over time, while the graceful curves conjure wind-carved stone or the horizon line of a quiet desert landscape. Bowman’s process transforms the physical properties of paint into visual metaphors for geological time, movement, and the quiet rhythms of the natural world.
Signed “Don Bowman” in pencil at the lower right, the signature matches verified examples from his mature period.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — DON BOWMAN (American, b.1934)
Don Bowman, born in 1934 in St. Louis, Missouri, is an American abstract painter celebrated for his fluid oil-on-paper abstractions and his pioneering method of manipulating diluted pigment through gravity and controlled motion. He studied at Lincoln University in Missouri, where training in both commercial and fine art laid the technical foundation for his later innovations.
During the 1960s–70s, Bowman explored screen printing, illustration, watercolor, and mixed media, gradually refining a visual language built on translucency, organic structure, and atmospheric flow. His breakthrough came with the development of the free-flow oil technique, a process involving highly diluted oil paint on heavyweight paper. By tilting and guiding the sheet, Bowman created soft feathered gradients, layered veils of color, and forms that evoke natural rhythms—plumes, petals, waves, geological contours—while remaining distinctly abstract.
Bowman exhibited throughout California, Missouri, and New York, and his works entered numerous private and corporate collections. His style is frequently associated with lyrical abstraction, organic color-field painting, and paper-based expressionism. Despite the apparent softness of his compositions, Bowman’s practice is rooted in precise timing, technical intuition, and deep understanding of material behavior.
Works like Untitled (Earthflow Horizon) reveal Bowman’s gift for transforming pigment into atmospheric motion—a balance of spontaneity and discipline that defines his contribution to late 20th-century American abstraction.
Don Bowman (American, b.1934)
Untitled (Earthflow Horizon), c.1980s
Oil on paper, 36 × 26 in.
Signed “Don Bowman,” lower right.
Earth-tone abstract composition with layered taupe, cream, gray, and golden bands flowing across a central horizon, created using Bowman’s signature free-flow oil technique. Excellent example of his landscape-inflected abstractions. Very good vintage condition.
Provenance: NYC acquisition; Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Don Bowman (American, b.1934)
Title: Untitled (Earthflow Horizon) (attributed)
Date: c.1980s
Medium: Oil on paper
Dimensions: 36 × 26 in.
Signature: Signed “Don Bowman,” lower right
Description:
A sophisticated abstract composition featuring layered earth-tone bands resembling geological strata or a desert horizon, executed using Bowman’s signature free-flow oil technique.
Authenticity:
The signature, palette, materials, and technique correspond with authenticated works by Don Bowman from the same period.
Condition:
Very good vintage condition with normal minor age toning. No tears, losses, or structural concerns. Suitable for archival framing.
Provenance:
Don Bowman (Artist Studio)
Private Collection, New York City (acquired c.1980s)
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)
PROVENANCE CHAIN
Artist Studio — Don Bowman
Private Collection, New York City (1980s acquisition)
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)
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