February 13, 2014 3.36 pm This story is over 121 months old

Phil Bowman: 5 years on the Lincoln art scene

Lincoln art: Lincoln artist Phil Bowman is celebrating 5 years at the Gallery at St Martin’s.
Gallery at St Martin's Phil Bowman. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Lincoln artist Phil Bowman is celebrating his gallery’s five-year anniversary and has spoken to The Lincolnite about the evolution of the art scene in Lincolnshire.

The Gallery at St Martin’s is an intimate exhibition space from the heart of the city’s cultural quarter and has hosted over 200 events in the years since it first opened in 2009.

To mark the gallery’s fifth birthday Phil also hosted a collection of his work and the work of ten other artists at the Sam Scorer Gallery on Drury Lane.

His paintings are now on show from the space at St Martin’s and future projects include works from a number of visiting and local artists.

A collection of Phil Bowman's own work is currently on show at the Gallery at St Martin's.

A collection of Phil Bowman’s own work is currently on show at the Gallery at St Martin’s.

Phil Bowman said: “The gallery has thrived over the years and St Martin’s has become quite a buzzing square.

“I see the Lincoln art scene to be very full and very vibrant for the size of the city. My spaces which are available to hire are usually pretty booked up, but there is quite a bit of competition for exhibition space.

“My problem now, being primarily a painting and craft gallery, is that there are a lot of students coming out of art colleges and veering toward digital mediums. They are video makers and conceptualists.

The Gallery at St Martin's, Lincoln. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The Gallery at St Martin’s, Lincoln. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

“The art scene is changing and artists are also looking for different places to exhibit like churches and other interesting buildings

“Among our most popular events was an exhibition by Nina Carroll, who was a prolific painter of watercolours.

“The wonderful thing about local galleries is that they are not just contained in an exclusive bubble. Artists travel and I think it’s just as exciting to showcase an artist travelling to Lincoln and Lincoln artists that are travelling and working on new planes.”