Charles Bowling (1891-1985)

Charles Taylor Bowling, 1891-1985, a lithographer, as well as painter of still-life, landscape and urban scenes, was born in Quitman, Texas, and died in Dallas. Though a long-lived artist -- into his early nineties -- he gave up painting c. 1965 due to failing eyesight. Bowling combined art with a job, having a long career as a draftsman and head of the drafting department at Texas Power and Light from 1916-1968. In addition, Bowling got a late start as a fine artist, only beginning to paint in his mid-thirties while recovering from an illness. He studied with Alexandre Hogue, Frank Klepper, and with Olin Travis at the Dallas Art Institute, where he later was a teacher. He taught at the Dallas Art Institute; and was a founding member of the Lone Star Printmakers. Bowling also belonged to the Dallas Art Association; Dallas Print Society; Frank Reaugh Art Club; Klepper Sketch Club; Southern States Art League; and Texas Fine Arts Association. He was also closely associated with The Dallas Nine, a group of painters, printmakers, and sculptors active in the 1930s and early 1940s, who painted the land and people of the Southwest. His work is found in the following Texas collections: Museums of Abilene; Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas, Austin; Dallas Museum of Art; Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts, Dallas; Southern Methodist University, Dallas; San Antonio Art League; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Texas Fine Arts Association; Sulphur Springs Public Library; Torch Energy Advisors, Houston. In 2003, the Dallas Museum of Art put on an exhibition, "Progressive Texas: Art at the Texas Centennial of 1936", which included Charles Bowling's work, along with that of other artists active in Dallas in the 1930s and 1940s, such as Jerry Bywaters, Otis Dozier, Alexandre Hogue, and Harry Carnohan. Bowling's exhibitions include: Annual Allied Arts Exhibition, Dallas, Annual Texas Artists Circuit Exhibition, Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts, Dallas and Annual Texas Artists Exhibition, Texas Centennial Exposition, Dallas and Lone Star Printmakers Circuit Exhibition.  There is conflicting information in reference literature about the actual time when he stopped painting. It is known that the artist suffered from cataracts which cause a slow clouding effect to one's vision, and he is known to still have painted in 1962 (see Heritage auction December 2007). In the book Texas Vision: The Barrett Collection (Southern Methodist University Press 2004) a reference under his biography states that he gave up painting in 1965. Since he is known to have worked for the power company until 1968 we assume that his progressively failing eyesight caused him to stop painting sometime around/after 1965. There have been examples of his works dated after 1965. Sources: John and Deborah Powers, Texas Painters, Sculptors and Graphic Artists Credit goes to Evelyn Roberson for the discussion about when Bowling stopped painting.