[2] She studied at the Gallery School at the same time as Sybil Craig, Constance Stokes, and Helen Ogilvie, though they were in different classes.
[3] She first exhibited with The New Group at the Athenaeum Gallery in 1937, at a show consisting of still-life, landscape, and drawings.
[5] McGowan's portrait Manya featured in the Herald Exhibition 'Outstanding Artists of 1937'[6] and alongside Thea Proctor's article in Art in Australia.
[7] McGowan attended classes at the Victorian Artists Society with her future husband Colin around this time.
[2] In the 1960s McGowan would become the first secretary of the McClelland Gallery Group, with Colin printing and designing the invitations and catalogues.