David Astor Dowdy Jr.

David Astor Dowdy, Jr. (born March 9, 1933) is a retired businessman and avid art lover who only in recent years had had the opportunity to pursue his lifelong dream of a career in sculpture.

Early life and education

Dowdy attended High Point Public Schools and Oak Ridge Military Institute before entering pharmacy school. After obtaining a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina in 1954, Dowdy served in the United States Navy. Upon discharge in 1956, he entered the business world where he was to earn a livelihood for himself, and his wife and three children.

Sculpture

For most of his life, he sculpted primarily as a hobby, rendering portrait work of men, women, children, and historical and religious figures at the request of friends and business associates. Today, most of his commissions are privately owned, but a number are on public display, including Albert Schweitzer (1966) at the Duke University Medical Center Eye Center, John Wesley (1990) at the First United Methodist Church of High Point , Dr. James A, Johnson (1991) at the High Point Regional Hospital, George Watts Hill (1993) Alumni Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Hargrove ‘Skipper’ Bowles (1993) in the Thurston - Bowles Building, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Senator Jesse Helms at the Helms Center in Wingate, North Carolina.

One of works to date has been a three-part, life-size bronze on display outside the BellSouth state headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. This piece consists of a life-size statue of Alexander Graham Bell observing a lineman pulling fiber optic cable around the globe, and is entitled “Bringing the World Together”. His latest major work is the “Plank Road Foreman” at the Depot in High Point.

Artistic influences

Although he has no formal art training, his perfected techniques and innate artistic ability combine to produce beautiful work reminiscent of old masters. He attributes his classical style to the influence of the work of portrait sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon. Dowdy is committed to excellence, not only in terms of achieving an uncanny likeness of subject, but also in bringing to life the subtle expression of personality. While some work is done from portrait sessions, the majority is now done from photographs. In his words, “Ownership of a fine work of bronze has such a feeling of permanency. The expression, the strength of the three-dimensional form, the emotions that are conveyed, all can offer indescribable pleasure to the owner. That is why every client must be completely satisfied before any work is cast.”