Rob Cowan is an established painter with over three decades’ experience in the creative industries. After graduating from Camberwell College of Art in 1993 with a BA (Hons) in Illustration, he pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Communication Design at Central Saint Martins, subsequently launching a successful and varied professional practice. Painting has always been at the heart of Rob’s creative endeavours, and he has also worked throughout his career as a freelance illustrator for a wide range of clients.
As a painter, Rob favours large-scale works with bold, vibrant colour schemes, and is comfortable working in either figurative or realist modes. His work is always underpinned by a strong narrative, a multi-layered approach that has resulted in impactful commissions for both global corporates and public bodies.
Often produced as series, Rob’s work invites the viewer to make their own assumptions about his subjects. He includes careful details in his portraits and urban landscapes that indicate a story, personality or sense of place, expressed through his signature painting style, where evident brushstrokes give the work a distinct energy.
As well as building a diverse client base, Rob has also found success exhibiting his paintings. He has put on two acclaimed solo shows in London, achieved a Highly Distinguished Entry in the Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize (2023), and was a finalist in the prestigious Figurativas (2025) in Barcelona. He is passionate about creating large-scale public-facing art that can bring life and energy to community spaces, refining his approach to synthesise a more realistic style with the graphic energy of his past work.
Rob currently works out of his studio in Surrey, UK.