Cookstown artist, John Cowan, makes dark, atmospheric works

A talented Tyrone artist, who is now living in Tenerife, has been making a name for himself in the art world – with MTV star, Bam Margera, among his fans.

John Cowan, an artist and musician from Cookstown, who goes by the name of ‘10:24’ online, told the Tyrone Herald that he has loved drawing from as early as he can remember.

As a child, John was often found doodling and drawing pictures of aliens and monsters.

He continued to work on his art, and eventually, the self-trained artist began to sell his work and make art his full-time career.

“I know it sounds like the typical answer that any artist would give, but, truthfully, I’ve loved doing this since as far back as I can remember,” he said. “I couldn’t pinpoint an exact time. However, I do remember drawing weird things like monsters and aliens.

“I’ve always been inspired by the theme of horror. I think that something more dark or disturbing is a lot more eye-catching than a nice bright colourful landscape or a perfect portrait.

“Make it dark… ugly… creepy… Unsettling in any way.

“The further from reality, the better. I like the unknown and surreal things that you don’t see every day.”

Recently, John departed Tyrone, and he is now residing amidst the tropical island of Tenerife.

He says that art is like ‘mediation’, and that most of his paintings come from spontaneous bursts of inspiration.

‘CHILDHOOD HERO’

John has also recently had the opportunity to create work for one of his childhood heroes, Bam Margera of MTV’s ‘Jackass’ and ‘Viva La Bam’.

The Cookstown artist’s work will be used on a series of the famous stuntman and prankster’s skateboards, which are set to be launched by Margera before the end of the year.

“With my art, I’m mostly on autopilot, and it’s unplanned,” John added. “I just start making a mess on paper, and I don’t stop until it becomes something.

“Most of the time, I just feel focused; not thinking of anything else apart from what’s in front of me.

“It sounds like I’m talking about meditation here.

“Emotionally, I remember years ago having a more dark mindset when I was working, but, nowadays, it’s all positive, and I’m pretty happy doing what I do.”

John works in multiple mediums to create his works, including: Charcoal; chalk; graphite; acrylics; oils; pastel; and he has even used volcanic ash from a recent eruption in Tenerife.

As well as making art, John is a passionate musician, who creates heavy atmospheric metal songs.

“My art informs my musical choices, and vice versa,” he said. “And I always try to do something new every day.

“A day without creating anything is a day wasted.”

To learn more about John’s paintings and other artworks, you can visit his social media pages, which can be found by searching ‘10:24’.