McGowan’s paintings shimmer with layered color, created by applying diluted acrylic and chalk pastel to highly absorbent cotton bedsheets. Though entirely abstract, the works evoke sensory encounters with the natural world, recalling sunlight filtering through foliage, reflections on water, and shifting atmospheric light. The use of bedsheets introduces a deeply personal dimension, referencing rest, safety, and queer intimacy. Balancing softness and intensity, McGowan’s compositions transform everyday materials into luminous fields of color that pulse with movement, tenderness, and emotional resonance.
