​Contemporary South African Art

Dowery, Ossie

Article credits to: http://www.ossiedowery.com/



Ossie Dowery is a Johannesburg-based a self-taught painter. His preferred materials are acrylic and canvas, but he has also completed several murals.

Born in Durban, South Africa on 16 November 1979, Ossie was fortunate to experience the world when his mother traveled to New York to escape the harsh conditions of the Apartheid government. While residing in the United States, Ossie discovered his passion for art and picked up the paintbrush in 2002. The only training he received was through various art books. But with time and patience, he perfected his craft.

Ossie has gone on to do commissioned works for members of South Africa government, corporate offices, restaurants, magazines and individuals. Some public spaces where his work is on display includes the Shikisha restaurant in Johannesburg’s Newtown cultural precinct and Ossie was also involved in the mural that currently adorns the Orlando Towers in Soweto.

During the construction of Johannesburg’s Gautrain, Ossie was commissioned to paint a mural on the wall on a major intersection in the city that depicted commuters on the train. He has also worked with artists in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Ossie works from his Johannesburg home, but is happy to travel countrywide and internationally. In his free time he teaches an art workshop in Blairgowrie.