Ko wai au
About Bridget

Kia ora e hoa mā, ko Ngāti Kahungunu, ko Ngāti Moe ahau. Ko Bridget Gowan tōku ingoa.I am an artist, maker and creative based in the Manawatū, New Zealand.

Toi (art) for me is natural and part of my everyday life. My work is layered, contemplative, nostalgic, and often inspired by nature. I love colour across the spectrum. My favourite mediums include acrylic painting, textiles, rāranga (Māori weaving), surface pattern and digital artwork.In my school years I carefully curated my subjects to get increasingly creative as the years went on, before pursuing a Bachelor of Design at university.

I then spent the majority of my 20s pursuing creativity ‘on the side’, as full-time creative employment was difficult to find. Then in 2017 I had a mārama (enlightenment) moment, and decided to use my creativity more fully, exploring making art for profit and commission work. I have enjoyed developing my abstract style, learning more about my preferred subject matter and falling back in love with colour.

As a Māori wahine, I am on a journey of reclaiming and reconnecting with mātauranga Māori. It is both a joyful and grief filled path to walk, and has been increasingly showing up in my art work. I love exploring the forms, principles and worldview in my work, and sharing what I am learning.

In my home studio you’ll find me in my apron, surrounded by an explosion of paintings and textiles, a lot of them only halfway to completion. I like to work on multiple projects at once, and am a big fan of working in quick short bursts.
Art to me is joyful, theraputic, challenging and fun - and I could not be without it.