Born in Forest Hills, New York in 1928 Joe began to draw when he was
three. His first illustration for a national magazine was published by
Cosmopolitan when he was nineteen. While working
as an apprentice at the prestigious Charles E. Cooper Studios, Inc. he
had the opportunity to learn the craft from some of the finest artists
in the profession.
As an apprentice at Cooper Studio, Joe was
inspired by the illustrations he saw being done by the top artists in
the field. During the day Joe’s time was spent cleaning palettes and
brushes, matting paintings and running errands. He did his own work at
night, sometimes all night. After being there about 6 months, Coby
Whitmore brought in an illustration of his for Joe to matt. Coby saw a
sample illustration Joe had been working on the night before and asked
if he could take it with him to Cosmo to show the Art Director. Upon
Coby’s return, he told Joe, Cosmo had bought the sample and to bill them
for $1,000. Earning $35 a week at that time, it seemed like a fortune.
Within six months Joe’s illustrations were
appearing in three major magazines. Coby was Joe’s mentor in the early
days of his career, a friendship that lasted a life time.
Bowler contracted polio in 1958, while on vacation
in Europe. 100% of his muscles were effected by the polio and he spent 7
years working with a physical therapist named Henry Stano. Although,
Joe regained much of his mobility it was a long painful recovery. After
about three months, Joe regained the use of his hands and arms and went
back to work. It was a turning point in Joe’s life, not only in his
physical capacity but his attitude and approach to painting.
Joe was elected to the Society of Illustrators in
1952 and to the Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1967 The Artists'
Guild of New York named Joe their Artist of the Year. By this time,
magazines were commissioning him to do portraits of well known people.
These included a 1968 McCall's fashion article portraying eight
presidential candidates' wives; the August 1971 issue of Ladies' Home
Journal cover portrait of Rose Kennedy; The Saturday Evening Post cover
of Julie and David Eisenhower.
In 1972, Joe and his wife Marilyn moved to Hilton
Head Island, South Carolina. This proved to be the ideal location in
which to make the transition from illustration to portraiture. Portraits
have been Joe’s primary focus since the move but he makes sure to take
time to paint just for himself, studio paintings, a part of the
never-ending learning process which makes painting so rewarding. These
studio paintings are shown at Morris & Whiteside Galleries on Hilton
Head Island.
On March 10th of 2008, Joe’s wife Marilyn died.
Married for 58 years they shared a true partnership in every sense of
the word. Marilyn was a true collaborator and support system standing
beside Joe in work and family. Over the years Marilyn handled the
business of portraiture, the business of being a successful artist. Many
of the painters who have visited Joe over the years were in awe of
Marilyn’s knowledge of how to be a success as an artist. Her grace and
charm in meeting with clients as well as other artists was truly
remarkable. We miss her warmth, guidance and wisdom.
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