ABOUT

Flora Bowley (pronounced bowl-lee) is a celebrated artist, author of four books, community builder, and visionary creative guide.

Blending over thirty years of professional painting experience with her experience as a movement and breathwork facilitator, bodyworker, mindfulness practitioner, and lifelong seeker, Flora’s popular in-person retreats, online courses, and books have empowered a global network of brave painters while creating a holistic movement in the intuitive art world.

Flora believes creative expression (in all its many forms) is about moving life force energy as a way to stay clear, connected, and resilient in our ever-changing world.

Currently, Flora is co-creating and stewarding a 20-acre retreat center an hour outside of Portland, OR where you can find her singing to trees, making music playlists, and creating a glorious mess in her studio.

She still can’t believe this is her job.

SELECTED PRAISE

Find more testimonials here.

I consider Flora a soul sister, a fellow truth-teller, and deeply inspired seeker. She has a true gift for teaching, helping others to discover and unleash their unique creative voice. She also has an exceptional talent for gathering beautiful kindred spirits together, igniting connection and belonging.

– Kelly Rae Roberts

Being in the presence of Flora, whether you are a friend, a student, or a peer, means that you always find yourself surrounded by acceptance, warmth and calm. Flora is a conversation, a wisdom that is both enchantingly ancient and fiercely contemporary. There is that graceful aura about her that makes you feel you belong, that you are a part of, that we are all here together for silently agreed-upon reasons.

– Orly Avineri

Flora is not only a talented painter, she is a generous teacher. She actively helps others find and activate creative expression. This is her most far-reaching gift.

– Lisa Cogdon

The moment I walked into Flora’s studio, I knew there was something magical, something transformational at play. It wasn’t because it was a stunning creation dream space. It was because you could feel it infused with the energy of this wild woman who had flung away the shadows of any doubt and stepped into light of knowing her path … and was fiercely walking it.

Every time I have painted or sat in counsel with Flora, the days that followed unfolded mystically for me. She possesses a power: it’s all love, all surrender, all presence. Just being in the same space with her is permission giving for accepting the innate bravery of your own magnificent and creative being. She is a space holder for people who are transforming their lives.

– Marybeth Bonfiglio

Not only has Flora taught me how to put color on a canvas, she’s also taught me so many lessons about life: how to let go of what I *think* I need, how to take big, scary risks, and how to stay present and be open to what life might bring me. Her enchanting process is a gift to any creative who yearns for more, and it will leave you feeling both grounded in your present and fired-up for what’s to come.

– Tiffany Han

Flora is a prolific creator and is committed to opening inner portals through process painting. Her paintings bring to life what is most beautiful inside of her, and they’re also a reflection of how she experiences the world. Her work causes us to shift from external perceptions to the inward jungle of our own spirited natures; helping us to recognize that we, too, desire a wild life of color and movement.

– Pixie Lighthorse

Taking Flora’s online class was an eye-opening experience for me. I am a newbie to painting and she instilled confidence that I didn’t know I had. I connected with her gentle approach to painting. She is a gift to the painting world. I appreciate all I learned!