My artistic practice centers around large-scale oil paintings that blend traditional technique with contemporary visual language. Using thin layers of oil paint, I prioritize color and depth, softening the trace of my hand in favor of immersive, emotionally charged imagery.

Rooted in realism, my work explores the female-presenting body and psychological interior, often through self-portraiture or portrayals of others. These figures serve as real emotional anchors within surreal or digitally distorted environments—spaces that echo the tension between physical presence and virtual identity.

Lately, I’ve become more interested in color as a psychological tool, experimenting with refracted light, glitch aesthetics, and layered perception. My figures are no longer just portrayed—they are fractured, multiplied, or submerged. In these new works, I reference digital filters, reflections, and altered states of consciousness, exploring how technology and our own subconsciousness influence the way we see ourselves and experience life.

I aim to create a visual language that bridges classical beauty and contemporary fragmentation—using portraiture, once a symbol of power and permanence, to capture moments of vulnerability, distortion, and transformation.

Fiona Dowdee is a Los Angeles based painter, curator, and arts educator whose career has developed across fine art, exhibition production, and community-based arts programming.

Raised by two artist parents and homeschooled in an environment centered around creativity and self-expression, Dowdee began developing her artistic practice at an early age. By twelve, she was interested in special effects makeup and received a commendation from the Pasadena Fire Chief for creating realistic injury effects used in disaster-response training exercises.

Dowdee shifted her primary focus to fine art and painting during high school, where she received multiple artistic honors, including two Rotary Craftsmanship Awards and recognition as Best Artist of her graduating class. She later studied painting at Pratt Institute in New York before returning to Los Angeles to continue developing her studio practice and professional career.

Since joining Resin Gallery and the nonprofit Indivisible Arts in Hermosa Beach, Dowdee has become an active member of the Los Angeles and South Bay arts communities. Her work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions, she has received multiple Best in Show honors at Resin Gallery, and her work has been featured in AwareNow Magazine. Her solo exhibitions include esc. and After Image.

In addition to her studio practice, Dowdee has curated and produced numerous exhibitions and arts events, working across installation, exhibition design, artist coordination, programming, and production. Her experience spans painting, photography, digital media, mural work, live painting, and interdisciplinary projects.

Dowdee currently serves as Youth Program Manager for Indivisible Arts, where she oversees arts education and Creative Consciousness programming for young people throughout Los Angeles County. She develops and leads programming for neurodivergent, special-needs, and at-risk youth through partnerships with organizations including Friendship Foundation, Richstone Family Center, Walk With Sally, and allcove. She also curates youth exhibitions, manages instructors and volunteers, develops educational programming, and helps produce gallery exhibitions and community arts events.

Through her roles as a practicing artist, curator, educator, and arts organizer, Dowdee has built a career that moves between the studio, gallery, and community, both developing her own body of work and creating opportunities for others to engage with contemporary art.