Full-time artist Seb Gower has turned his extraordinary creative talent and passion for colour into a profession, waking up every day to create artworks using Resene paint, which he shares online for his legion of fans across the globe. Seb has a huge social media following – just over 400,000 across all platforms – and says that the energy and enthusiasm he gleans from the live-streaming process inspires and motivates him.
“Being able to involve thousands and thousands of people while I paint keeps it perky, keeps it fun and keeps it loose,” he says. “The viewers don’t just watch – they comment, they talk, they ask questions and they keep the vibe up.
“I’m an artist who believes in creating from the heart, letting my vulnerability and passion shine through each piece,” Seb explains. “My aim is to share the process, letting people see the raw, unfiltered moments that bring artwork to life. Art connects us, tapping into our imagination and allowing us to feel something unique.”
His network grew as people from around the world were drawn to the refreshing honesty and contagious joy he evokes as he paints. “I found that letting my guard down and creating with my heart on my sleeve was what really connected with people. Every piece has been a step in crafting not just my style, but also a community around it.” Seb sells much of his art overseas, with the United States proving a lucrative market for both commissions and his ever-growing social media presence.
While Seb confesses that he initially believed painting to be a selfish pursuit, his modern approach has dispelled those feelings and bolstered his purpose even further. “I couldn’t paint like van Gogh by myself in a studio. Once I knew it could help people, that was a catalyst that really super charged it. It connects people, builds love and brings joy – and you need to do that with your life.”
All about colour
Seb describes his work as “fun, vibrant and wild. It’s kind of impressionistic but most of all, a lot of movement and a lot of bold colour.” He swears by the vibrancy and workability of Resene paint when bringing his concepts to life on canvas and shares that his favourite thing is the unique names given to each and every colour. “They create stories for each colour and those stories in turn bring stories into the artwork, before the paintbrush even touches the canvas,” he says.
