Rowan Bathurst

Rowan Bathurst (b. 1995, Baltimore, MD) is a painter living and working between Baltimore, MD, and São Paulo, Brazil. Her practice centers on portraiture, primarily depicting women, drawing from her own photographs of close friends and incorporating landscapes and visual elements inspired by her time in rural Brazil and travels across continents.

Beyond her latest exhibition, Bathurst’s recent work explores the connection between present-day women and prehistoric artifacts, particularly Venus figurines and ceramic antiquities. Inspired by these archaeological pieces, women’s history, and humanity’s intrinsic relationship with nature, her paintings radiate warmth, sisterhood, and a profound sense of lineage. They invite a reexamination of how figures are portrayed in art, one that conveys confidence and tranquility while embracing vulnerability. Nature and history are fundamental to the human experience, and her work encourages viewers to reflect on the narratives we inherit and carry forward.

Bathurst earned her BFA in Painting and Art History from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2018. Her work has been exhibited and collected both locally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions. In 2022, she was nominated as a participating artist for The Rema Hort Mann Foundation. Alongside her studio practice, she engages in public art and mural work worldwide, contributing to projects such as the Walls off Washington Festival, Beira Festival, and Brush Mural Fest. She is currently an Extreme Heat Resident at Johns Hopkins University, where she continues her exploration of art’s dialogue with history, nature, and the shared human experience.