We recently connected with Stephen Rowe and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stephen , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Coming from a family of carpenters and miners, from an early age I was exposed to hard working family members that did the very best to make an income, raise a family and contribute positively to society. When I was a young boy, I actually was living with my grandparents who raised me and my younger brother until we were in our early teens. We observed my grandmother cooking, cleaning and caring for a large family. Meanwhile, my grandfather would rise early to have a full day at the mines. I fondly remember Sunday dinner, when my grandmother would cook a roast and my grandfather would be helping her to wash the floors or shine the shoes for us kids. What a humble, yet warm memory.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As an artist my work has drawn inspiration from abstract expressionism and action painting. My work is unique to my hand, infused with my life experiences and distinctive artistic perspective. Born in Broken Hill, an isolated mining town in the Australian outback, influenced my vision and artistic expression.
My approach to art is informed by a diverse background in the arts, having been a professional classical ballet dancer for 17 years, as well as a professional actor and singer-songwriter. My experience in these various fields has given me a keen sense of movement, emotion, and storytelling, all of which inform my artwork.
With the canvas flat on the ground, it allows me to become connected with the work and to move in a way that feels like a dance. This approach is heavily influenced by my years in ballet and creates a powerful visual experience for the viewer. Using a drip technique combined with bold, contrasting colors results in dynamic and spirited compositions.
My paintings appear bright and colorful at first glance, but mixed within, one can see darker hues that lie beneath the surface. These darker colors represent the pain, loss, and struggle that I have experienced in my life. The brighter colors appear on the surface as a veil, hiding my inner turmoil and suggesting a happier exterior. Through my work, I am searching for happiness, finding beauty in the midst of my journey.
Overall, my artwork is a personal and unique take on the abstract expressionist style, infusing my own life and artistic outlook into each piece. This is a continuation of a long tradition of artists who have used their own experiences as inspiration for their artwork.
In addition to the rich history of art practice that my work draws upon, it is also important to consider its place within the competitive landscape of the contemporary art world. As an artist, I am constantly competing for attention and recognition in a crowded and highly competitive field. However, my background in other fields, such as motocross, carpentry, and ballet, has instilled a competitive spirit in me and a drive to succeed. These qualities are reflected in my art, which is a deeply personal expression of my life and emotions.
Coming from a lineage of miners and carpenters, my trade has given me an innate sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail that is evident in the art. Similarly, my time spent in ballet has instilled in me a sense of discipline and dedication that is essential to any artistic pursuit. Meanwhile acting provided me with an outlet for expressing myself and exploring complex emotions, while music and songwriting have allowed me to escape reality and explore new creative avenues. All of these experiences have come together in my painting, which serves as a powerful outlet for my emotions in my continuous search for happiness.
In my exploration of artistic expression, I delve into the mesmerizing realm of abstract pointillism, where I meticulously arrange distinct dots to form captivating visual patterns. This technique was profoundly influenced by the works of Yayoi Kusama which I had a chance to experience while living in New York City in the early 1990’s. Her masterful manipulation of dots left an indelible mark on my artistic sensibilities, prompting me to fuse elements of her style with the rich tapestry of Australian Aboriginal art that I had been exposed to in my youth.
The amalgamation of these diverse influences births a unique aesthetic that is distinctly my own. Each piece demands an unwavering commitment to patience and skill, as I laboriously layer dots on top of vibrant abstract backgrounds. Within this intricate tapestry, lies a narrative of profound emotions—love, life, hurt, and happiness—concealed beneath the veil of dots. These dots, akin to a protective mask, imbue the artwork with an air of mystery and intrigue, inviting viewers to unravel the hidden messages woven within.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three elements that were most impactful in my journey include a willingness to embrace change, a drive for perfection, and resilience. The combination of these characteristics gave me the passion and the where with all to pursue multiple artistic endeavors. For those that are early in their journey, I would advise them to try new things, apply yourself and don’t give up. It is important to pursue your art at a professional level, however, it is essential to have a stable source of income until you are able to make a living from your art.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
Though I enjoy my time painting, there are times when I have to step away to take care of my business and other obligations. When this happens, I actually have to re-learn the movement and flow required to create a mature composition in my drip style. I know this sounds odd, but practice makes perfect. If I don’t capture the correct flow, the work suffers and can appear incomplete and unsophisticated.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stephenroweart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/srowie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brokenhillboy
- Youtube: @stephenjrowe
Image Credits
Photo of Stephen Rowe was photographed by Adrian Wlodarczyk.
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