On Board Artist in Residence Program - Inspired by Southwest Tasmania
The Southwest has always been a place of boundless inspiration for us and for those drawn to wild, elemental landscapes
This wilderness is a place of immense depth and diversity, where weather, water and geological time shape every horizon.
For artists, it offers not a fixed subject but a shifting encounter.
A landscape of shifting scale and deep time, where button grass moves with the wind, bull kelp traces the tide, and nights open into clear southern skies.
It is here, within Tasmania’s World Heritage listed southwest, that we are introducing the On Board Artist in Residence Program.
This initiative invites a small number of Tasmanian artists to join our expeditions into Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour during the operational season, travelling aboard Odalisque III alongside guests, crew and guides.
Artists are embedded within the rhythm of each journey. Days are spent moving through remote waterways, quiet anchorages and coastal walks, sharing time at the table with guests and crew, and experiencing the southwest as it unfolds rather than as it is staged.
The intention is simple. To offer time, access and proximity to one of the most remote wilderness areas on earth, and to share it through the eyes of artists whose practice is shaped by place.
This is not a separate experience from the expedition. It is part of it.
Inaugural Artist in Residence
In 2026, we were joined by Hobart based artist Harrison Bowe as the inaugural On Board Artist in Residence
Harrison spent time in the southwest aboard Odalisque III, responding directly to the landscape as it shifted around him, from quartzite peaks and wind-lashed coastlines to still reflective waterways.
His practice captures the physical presence and emotional weight of this place, translating lived experience into layered atmospheric works that reflect movement, light, water and geological time.
Meet Harrison Bowe
Harrison Bowe is an early career artist based in Nipaluna / Hobart, Lutruwita / Tasmania. His practice centres on a painterly exploration of the remote wildness that defines Tasmania’s rugged southwest. Recent works are informed by time spent traversing its mountain ranges and untouched coastline on expedition.
Through layered application of oil paint and palette knife, Bowe traces the contours of landscape and weather, capturing shifting light, geological form and movement of sea and sky. His works reflect both the physical intensity and quiet tempo of the southwest, where change is constant and scale is difficult to comprehend.
Underlying his practice is a focus on deep time and environmental awareness, reflecting on the relationship between place, perception and change in a rapidly shifting world.
Bowe graduated from the University of Tasmania, School of Arts and Media in 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He has been a finalist in the Henry Jones Art Prize (2021, 2022), the Hadley’s Art Prize (2022, 2024, 2025), receiving the People’s Choice Award, was selected for the inaugural RISE exhibition at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in 2023, and was the winner of Tattersall's Landscape Art Prize 2026.
Selected Works by Harrison Bowe, Inspired by Southwest Tasmania's landscapes
The photos of Harrison's artworks are courtesy of Hobart's Despard Gallery. More works and insights from Harrison can be viewed via his On Board experience reflection.
For his latest works, follow Harrison on Instagram @smudging_colours or via Despard Gallery.
Artist in Residence Program
Expressions of Interest Open
We are now inviting expressions of interest from Tasmanian artists for upcoming Port Davey seasons between December and May, with one residency available per expedition season.
Selected artists will be invited to join scheduled expeditions, with access shaped to support both creative practice and the shared guest experience onboard.
Submit an expression of interest by completing the form below.
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