Charles Rowe, American, born 1951

Hillsborough River – Ibis

Capturing the essence of the Southern wilderness in his artwork, Charles Rowe enjoys the union of his two greatest loves - his love for the techniques of art, including color, composition, texture and light, and his love for the natural world. Every work is an opportunity for him to learn and expand his abilities as both an artist and naturalist.

"The reason I went into all this," Charles has said, "was so that I could make a living from a canoe." Charles tries to preserve the beauty of the wilderness of Florida in his paintings, especially it's rivers and marshes. He's concerned that "population is reducing the beauty around us. To me what makes Florida Florida is its rivers and coastlines." His paintings are a permanent record of natural history and act as a means by which the artist can convey his intimacy with the subject to the viewer.

Rowe's formal art training included course work at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Colorado Institute of Art and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His life and award-winning work have been showcased in newspapers, television and magazines including Florida Wildlife, Florida Naturalist and Florida Woods & Waters.

In December 1986, Rowe was commissioned to paint the Suwannee River for the inaugural program of former Florida Governor Bob Martinez and in 1991 was named Artist of the Year by the Florida Conservation Association in acknowledgement of his many contributions to Florida landscape and wildlife art.