Nature's Journey: Ali Rouse & Mark Bowles | 09.13.24
Nature's Journey with Ali Rouse & Mark Bowles
Artist Reception is Friday, September 13, 2024 from 5pm-7pm
at Canyon Road Contemporary's new premier location 409 Canyon Road.
About the Artist
Ali Rouse brings a fresh new beauty to old materials. She combines luxurious precious, semiprecious stones, handmade Bali Sterling silver and glass seed beads on the skulls of noble animals to create an impressive, signature style of art. Few artists are creating anything remotely like Ali’s work, with its fabulous combination of beautiful patterns and extraordinary bold presence. The animal form, often with large, gorgeous horns, serves as the frame housing the intricate details of her designs. Each animal offers unique opportunities and possibilities, which Ali interprets as angular and symmetrical, or abstracted, simulating movement in the geometric composition. Taking anywhere from 15 to 80 hours to create, Ali links the elements of nature to create elaborate designs. Most of the animals she represents are emblematic of the region, such as the bison, bull, and ram. She also uses humanely-sourced rare African impala y, oryx and kudu because of their distinct shape and beautiful elegance. A skilled artisan, Ali has received major national coverage for her fashion and design work. Her jewelry has been featured by In Style and Vogue Magazines, as well as on The Early Show. The skulls have been exhibited throughout the Southwest, as well as in New York, Dallas, Orlando and Colorado. She began working with beads at the age of twelve in her home state of New York. At seventeen, she relocated to Boston, MA, to attend Newbury College and study interior design. This training inspired passion for color and the use of texture in her beadwork. She has also lived on the Caribbean island Barbados and a brief stay in Virginia. At twenty-two, Ali headed west to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is where she was inspired to begin beading skulls. She purchased her first skull at the Santa Fe flea market and began by trial and error. The first skull still hangs proudly in her home studio.
About the Artist
Mark Bowles Artist Statement:I believe art tells a story and every artist is a story teller. This belief takes my work far beyond the obvious; most certainly beyond the visual. Whatever the subject matter, I hope to provoke the viewer into thinking about what they see and feel and becoming more informed as a result. If possible, I want to take them deeper into a subject than they’ve ever been before and prompt an inner change in the way they see the world. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and for as long as I can remember I have always painted. My passion for interpreting the world around me brought me to the California College of Arts & Crafts where I completed my studies with honors. In addition, I attended the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, an international fine art center, developing a passionate dedication to my chosen career. It is this passion that has allowed my work to grow. As I’ve traveled and adapted to new landscapes and changing vistas, my world view has evolved and expanded as well. Today, some say my paintings are a blend between contemporary and Western art. I’d like to think they defy any label. I try not to limit myself in what I paint or how I interpret what I see. Whether working with a still life, the human figure or a landscape, my immediate translation of that experience into texture, form and color expresses how I feel about what I’m seeing. That translation, never predetermined, allows my work to move from direct representation to minimalism to abstraction and therefore, is ever-changing and personally challenging. Each painting inspires the next response and the next interpretation. That is how my work stays fresh. People ask how I paint. I address the canvas directly, with a huge amount of trust that my intuitive inner artist will guide me. My heart pushes my work to find new ways of expressing what I see and how I feel about it. In effect, it’s the language of my soul. The result, therefore, is not just an intellectual exercise; rather, it’s a reflection of being in the “now” and living in the moment, in my own truth. I try to avoid any preconception of the end result. I simply begin with a certain size canvas, select the preferred materials and let an image grow. Painting makes me feel alive. If I am successful, I can draw the viewer into my space as they become involved in their own personal journey and discovery of the work. That dialogue is the ultimate reward —a way to communicate something new to the viewer, even if just for a brief moment in time. Titles of a painting follow merely as a means to help the viewer find reference. Painting is my commitment, my passion and my fulfillment. Exploring the powerful emotions behind colors, behind the strength of a good composition, and in the varied qualities and attitudes of a line never fails to intrigue me.
I am honored by those who find joy in my paintings and choose to own them. At this point in my career, I can proudly say that my work is collected worldwide and shown internationally.
