Commercial artist and illustrator was born in Perth and studied at Perth Technical School under Walter Rowbotham. According to Cownie the course he took was: “For many years, totally inadequate for commercial or editorial art cadets. Later I was a member of the advisory panel that created the present three year graphic art course to suit industry’s needs.”
He was about sixteen when he joined the art department at Gibbney’s in 1943 where he was trained by John Lunghi. After working at Gibbney’s for three years, Cownie went to the West Australian Newspapers where he became an illustrator, then eventually the Art Director.
In 1949 he exhibited with the West Australian Society of Arts where the reviewer commented on the The Anchorage, as a “strong boat study”. Cownie was also a member of The Studio Group of Six. These were all members of the Western Australian Newspaper's art staff who had at least five group exhibitions in the 1950s and included Paul Rigby, Fred Harffey, Athol Snook and Clem Ambler.
- Writers:
- Dr Dorothy Erickson
- Date written:
- 2010
- Last updated:
- 2011
