The Experience of On Board’s Inaugural Artist in Residence: Harrison Bowe
The Diary of an Artist on On Board Inaugural Artist in Residence Program - by Harrison Bowe
How could one say no to a long weekend in the southwest, as On Board's inaugural Artist in Residence? When boarding a seaplane at Hobart’s waterfront I got the feeling this wasn’t going to be one my usual trip.
I sometimes drift into reverie, visualising myself flying through landscapes, between peaks and over ridges. This rather sums up my experience of flying into Bathurst Channel, with the addition of a seemingly effortless landing on glassy water. My well-used pack left a trail of debris in the plane from the depths of pockets now upturned. In all honesty, arriving on the boat felt foreign, a level of comfort I hadn’t experienced in such a remote location. The beautifully cooked meals and fine wine were a far cry from dehydrated dinners.
Early the next morning two crew members and myself strolled up Morning Hill for sunrise. With little cloud, there wasn’t too much colour in the sky although this allowed the sun to cleanly pass over the mountains to the east. Warm rays luminated surrounding ridgelines, throwing long shadows over the cold water below.
Later that day we took the tenders up the Davey Gorge, a rather spectacular example of Precambrian Quartzite, old, folded rocks arising from dark tannin soaked waters. Leatherwood and other smaller trees clinging to the cliffs. On our way out, we ventured up a smaller tributary aptly named Blackwater Creek, a tight squeeze for the boats yet a quaint little spot. For the afternoon a smaller party went for a wander along a beach in Bond Bay, not the scenery I would make work about yet a nice spot to see and have dip nonetheless.
Photos by Harrison Bowe.
As the sun went down, the boat made its way through to its mooring at Bathurst Harbour. A nice, sheltered spot to see out the end of the day.
The next morning, we hoped back in the tenders and ventured up to the Old River, another tanning soaked waterway. We had good mid-morning light softly touching the trees lining the riverbanks. When the river split over a shallow rock scree and a log jam we left the boats behind to walk through some beautiful flora. Paul, the guide was a treat to have here with his wealth of knowledge on plants and histories both anthropic and geological.
Back at the boat there was time for one last dip before flying back to civilisation. A quiet moment to reflect on the past couple days.
Artwork by Harrison Bowe for Despard Gallery.
The Artistic Process
My process of making work begins with experiencing a place. I generally seek locations that hold an emotive quality for me. For myself this is generally found through geological form, in addition, various weather conditions and light will help emphasise certain characteristics.
I take a lot of reference images as source material; these images are not directly works in themselves yet part of my artistic process to later produce paintings in the studio. I use photography to capture elements of the landscape or play with composition whilst being in an environment.
Sometimes in the landscape I do sketch, although this is not as fundamental to my artistic process as photography and more of an exercise in observation. My finished works are a unity between the landscape’s physical form and my perception of place, shaped through embodied engagement; traversing terrain, enduring conditions, and reflecting on geological and anthropic histories. I find the experience of being in a landscape is produced by both the physical environment yet also one’s perception and interpretation.
Therefore, in producing work communicating an experience of place, the work must contain elements beyond representation or visual likeness. I utilise expressive yet composed marks to render the landscape’s rugged poetics, while an interplay of mediums distinguishes solid and atmospheric forms, allowing each its own resonance.
Tasmanian Artist Harrison Bowe. Photo by Dr Nathan Taylor.
On Board Artist in Residence Program
On Board is introducing the On Board Artist in Residence Program, with Harrison Bowe in 2026, the inaugural artist.
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.