Juicy Paint

Interview by Nicole Pasulka
The Morning News — August 22, 2010

"If Salvador Dali and Paul Rubens painted Saudi kings while eating caviar and listening to Elvis, the collaboration might look like Ralph Wolfe Cowan's portraits of heads of state, iconic celebrities, and buff, young models. A full-length portrait signifies social, economic, and political supremacy, though the painting's proud tranquility often belies complexity and controversy. Love them or hate them, Cowan's subjects lead the good life and his paintbrush dutifully reports their triumph. Cowan's current show, "Rough Edge," is on show at Vertigo Art Space in Denver through July 30, 2010.
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Selections from a Blue Chip Master Painter

Vertigo Art Space
Exhibition Dates: 7 May–30 July 2010

Let's celebrate with a rare engagement from master painter Ralph Wolfe Cowan of West Palm Beach, Florida. Often called a "Blue Chip" master painter, Cowan began his painting career in childhood and has well-known accolades as a "Celebrity Portrait Painter" who has had an extensive career painting on private commission from true Royals and celebrities from around the world. Cowan is recognized by The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery as the only painter Elvis ever commissioned for a portrait. Cowan states, "My aim is to reflect contemporary man's ultimate desire for self-expression and living on the edge."
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Live Podcast Interview on The Untitled Art Show

Art fit for the King

Gene Davis, DDN Staff Writer
Denver Daily News — June 10, 2010

If it's good enough for the King, then it should be good enough for you. The only artist Elvis ever commissioned for a portrait — Ralph Wolfe Cowan — has an exhibit showing at Vertigo Art Space, the gallery located on Santa Fe Drive. The exhibition features works spanning much of Cowan's career. Although Cowan is most well known for painting more reigning monarchs and world leaders than any other painter in history, it's his colorful and whimsical paintings, some of which are on display at the Vertigo exhibit, that can make eyeballs pop. The painting often bring to mind something Dali would have done when he was a little aroused and in a playful mood.
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