Sadly, in 2022, the world lost a sensitive painter when Chuck Bowdish died suddenly, way too young, at age 63. We are fortunate, however, to have a large semi-retrospective exhibition at the New York Studio School, through March 10, and a concurrent exhibition in the back room at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects until March 2, to give us a sense of this artist’s journey. Bowdish cared about the people around him and the larger geo-political world, and constantly sifted his reflections and observations through his high-pitched internal world of emotions and passions. Though often representing the violence of our world, from Vietnam-era military engagements to Mafia gangsters, he does so gently, creating paintings that have an innocence, an internal quiet and generosity of spirit, a complete belief in art, as if his hope for a better world could magically emerge through the mere act of painting. References from his personal past, like palm trees, boats and seashores suggesting his idyllic art school days in Florida, and the color and light he discovered during his productive five years in San Miguel de Allende, as well as references to art, to Greek amphoras, Archaic sculpture, and artists like Fra Angelica, Gauguin and Balthus, and more generalized images of women, children, angels, mobsters, soldiers and police, abound throughout his work, but it is his overwhelming warmth, humanity, melancholy and love that exude through the decades of keenly observed representational pieces to the increasingly imaginative, sometimes a bit surrealistic, later works on view in these two shows. We are blessed to see what he described as “grace and honesty” in the face of the “darkness of human character” manifest itself throughout all his work, from the early figurative sculpture to his later oils, watercolors, drawings, and collages. Also on view at the Studio School is Peter Wareing's 2001 personal and informative film, Chuck Bowdish: Painter, and on Friday, March 1 at 2pm, Steven Harvey hosts an online conversation with Bruce Gagnier and Sasha Chermayeff. (Contact the gallery at info@shfap.com or 917-861-7312.) To see all photos, as well as past reviews, go to Instagram link in bio at @entropvisions or www.alicezinnes.com/entropvisions--blog-