04/05/2022
What makes Dowling’s work so unique is his use of digitally painted abstract layers that cause each viewer to have different perceptions of what they are observing. It is a unique technique that leads viewers to have false affirmations of what they see, as well as challenges the conscious mind to see what actually exists. The term for this psychological effect is scotomisation. These shapes, patterns, and illusions often lead to the viewer working to find objects in his pieces and to moments when the individual has a “eureka moment” or epiphany. Over the last two decades, the art market has grown exponentially, and art has proven to be a resilient investment asset. Many collectors and investors have entered the art market from various industries and emerging economies since rising prices, the global profile and the prestige of art, an increasingly compelling online experience, and more transparent pricing attract new buyers is affecting the market in its entirety.
Dowling’s odyssey began in the ’80s in the traditional darkroom experimenting with multiple exposure photography and hand-colored black and white prints. Once diagnosed with an incurable genetic mutation and forced to walk marathons to grow arteries because his organic arteries were being destroyed, his downtime was put to good use while recovering from this devastating illness. Utilizing his laptop, Dowling spent his time scanning and painting his photographs as a form of art therapy. Dowling is known as a master photographer and has created a tremendous amount of professional portraits, including sittings with countless celebrities, models, and politicians, as well as “walking portrait” sessions featuring wildlife, nature, as well as once in a century photojournalistic events, and life in general. Later Dowling would superimpose numerous digital paintings, taking the most attractive and exciting portions, to create exquisite works of art.
The most significant returns are often garnered by investing in emerging artists due to the generally lower initial capital required. But the appreciation can be staggering. One such example was the landmark sale of Beeple’s NFT: The First 5,000 days which sold at auction for $69.3 million. He sold his first piece of physical art for $28.9 million at auction. Beeple explained on national television that he would sell his work for an average of $100 at most before he was discovered and started to offer NFTs (non-fungible tokens); his works now sell for as much as thousands of times as much as the original purchase price just a few years ago.
Today, such an opportunity exists with another emerging artist, John Joseph Dowling, Jr. His “Miracle In The Making” fine art collection consists of 218 individual works in editions of 100. Today, collectors are retaining Dowling to create and curate leased pieces to form galleries in their homes and offices that are permanent or can change seasonally. The price of Dowling’s 100 pieces 17” by 22” editions rose from a few hundred dollars just a year ago to $5000, to now eighteen months later to over $7950 with larger 1 of 1 edition selling for over $150,000. Each piece in Dowling’s collection has a master 60” by 78” 1 of 1 NFT valued at between $150,000 and $349,000
