Interview with the Artist
Last month Olivia Joyce had the opportunity to interview Cierra Rowe, whose art is featured in the September issue of West Trestle Review. Rowe answered questions, via email, about the themes in her art, growth in her work, and her experience as an artist in rural Kentucky.
OJ: Hi Cierra! Your art has a very distinct style and I read in some of your previous interviews that you gravitate towards acrylics in your work. How does the style of your art reflect the messages or emotions you intend to convey?
CR: As a self-taught artist I feel like the constant student. I have never been one to pretend I have anything completely figured out and my art reflects that. Like me, it tends to unfold and change as I reflect on all that is before me and all that came before me. My growth, both as a woman and as an artist, accompanies my evolving style, which symbolizes an enthusiastic need to express and an unadulterated craving to release. However, no matter how many passionate strokes come from my brush, the viewer will see what they see. I cannot tell them how a piece is supposed to make them feel, despite knowing the powerful emotions that fueled it. It brings to mind the perceived loneliness that artists suffer: pouring out their hearts while never truly being known.
OJ: In a similar vein, what motifs and themes do you feel driven to express in your work?
CR: I feel driven to express the truth, or more specifically, my truth. After all, art is an echo, isn't it? Through my art I can only share from experience. Daily I feel the need to paint a plethora of things, but there is never a singular subject that holds my focus for very long. Several of my past paintings have dealt with personal issues such as bulimia nervosa, miscarrying, self-harm, and anxiety fused with merciless racing thoughts. These things have left unkind marks. The reality is that the negative will always exist. It is always there like the hot sun that doesn't understand the pain of its rays, but there is good to be found and it is OK to paint about that. When viewing my paintings as a whole, the assortment of themes seems to be a celebration of chaos.
OJ: How do you hope to evolve and grow as an artist?
CR: Because my art is stimulated by what is within, I hope to refill myself with brighter facets of reality. Healing is important and there is nothing to gain in fixating on or repeating unpleasantries from the past. There is too much beauty to be acknowledged. Ignoring that would be abundantly selfish.
OJ: What challenges do you face when creating a new piece?
CR: I can't honestly say that I face any challenges when creating a new piece. Art serves as an outlet for me, a kind of escape. Personally, not creating would pose a greater challenge for me. There is always something to paint about.
OJ: What is your experience like as a rural artist?
CR: I was born in rural Kentucky. Frankly, aside from traveling as a child, it's the only place I know. As an artist it has always been important for me to have a space to create in. The rural countryside gives me this, but it is sweet and sour. On the one hand, I am surrounded by invigorating and scenic views: bending trees, whispering foliage, and hymns of pretty birds. Nature imitates reality around here. I go into the woods and I find quaint neighborhoods occupied by critters that are easily forgettable. These are not the haunting toucans, anacondas and atlas moths observed in tropical forests. These are your squirrels, beetles and cicadas surviving in muffled, rugged woods that are all but forgotten. That is sometimes how it feels to be a rural artist: Forgotten.
It is also worth mentioning that I happen to live in the Bible belt. When adding together the number of churches on either side of me, there are presently approximately forty-two. This is a very religious area. I have often thought that if I were to create religious or country art I would be substantially more respected, but I did not become an artist to pander to anyone, and because of this, it has been difficult to book the few local locations that do exist for exhibitions. I have condemned social media in the past but without social media and personal art sites, I and many other rural artists would undoubtedly never have the opportunity to share our art with the world.
OJ: What is one of the most exciting things to happen to you because of your artwork?
CR: I was able to gain confidence because of it. For a long time, confidence was a foreign idea. I never thought that I could shed my low self-esteem and when I finally did, it was immensely exhilarating. I had not expected anyone to appreciate my artistic efforts, so when they did, it overwhelmed me in the best way. Sending my art away to buyers and collectors never ceases to astonish me. I am so grateful. Art woke me from a deep slumber and permitted me to walk away from bad dreams.
OJ: Thank you so much, Cierra!
This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
OJ: Hi Cierra! Your art has a very distinct style and I read in some of your previous interviews that you gravitate towards acrylics in your work. How does the style of your art reflect the messages or emotions you intend to convey?
CR: As a self-taught artist I feel like the constant student. I have never been one to pretend I have anything completely figured out and my art reflects that. Like me, it tends to unfold and change as I reflect on all that is before me and all that came before me. My growth, both as a woman and as an artist, accompanies my evolving style, which symbolizes an enthusiastic need to express and an unadulterated craving to release. However, no matter how many passionate strokes come from my brush, the viewer will see what they see. I cannot tell them how a piece is supposed to make them feel, despite knowing the powerful emotions that fueled it. It brings to mind the perceived loneliness that artists suffer: pouring out their hearts while never truly being known.
OJ: In a similar vein, what motifs and themes do you feel driven to express in your work?
CR: I feel driven to express the truth, or more specifically, my truth. After all, art is an echo, isn't it? Through my art I can only share from experience. Daily I feel the need to paint a plethora of things, but there is never a singular subject that holds my focus for very long. Several of my past paintings have dealt with personal issues such as bulimia nervosa, miscarrying, self-harm, and anxiety fused with merciless racing thoughts. These things have left unkind marks. The reality is that the negative will always exist. It is always there like the hot sun that doesn't understand the pain of its rays, but there is good to be found and it is OK to paint about that. When viewing my paintings as a whole, the assortment of themes seems to be a celebration of chaos.
OJ: How do you hope to evolve and grow as an artist?
CR: Because my art is stimulated by what is within, I hope to refill myself with brighter facets of reality. Healing is important and there is nothing to gain in fixating on or repeating unpleasantries from the past. There is too much beauty to be acknowledged. Ignoring that would be abundantly selfish.
OJ: What challenges do you face when creating a new piece?
CR: I can't honestly say that I face any challenges when creating a new piece. Art serves as an outlet for me, a kind of escape. Personally, not creating would pose a greater challenge for me. There is always something to paint about.
OJ: What is your experience like as a rural artist?
CR: I was born in rural Kentucky. Frankly, aside from traveling as a child, it's the only place I know. As an artist it has always been important for me to have a space to create in. The rural countryside gives me this, but it is sweet and sour. On the one hand, I am surrounded by invigorating and scenic views: bending trees, whispering foliage, and hymns of pretty birds. Nature imitates reality around here. I go into the woods and I find quaint neighborhoods occupied by critters that are easily forgettable. These are not the haunting toucans, anacondas and atlas moths observed in tropical forests. These are your squirrels, beetles and cicadas surviving in muffled, rugged woods that are all but forgotten. That is sometimes how it feels to be a rural artist: Forgotten.
It is also worth mentioning that I happen to live in the Bible belt. When adding together the number of churches on either side of me, there are presently approximately forty-two. This is a very religious area. I have often thought that if I were to create religious or country art I would be substantially more respected, but I did not become an artist to pander to anyone, and because of this, it has been difficult to book the few local locations that do exist for exhibitions. I have condemned social media in the past but without social media and personal art sites, I and many other rural artists would undoubtedly never have the opportunity to share our art with the world.
OJ: What is one of the most exciting things to happen to you because of your artwork?
CR: I was able to gain confidence because of it. For a long time, confidence was a foreign idea. I never thought that I could shed my low self-esteem and when I finally did, it was immensely exhilarating. I had not expected anyone to appreciate my artistic efforts, so when they did, it overwhelmed me in the best way. Sending my art away to buyers and collectors never ceases to astonish me. I am so grateful. Art woke me from a deep slumber and permitted me to walk away from bad dreams.
OJ: Thank you so much, Cierra!
This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
Cierra Rowe is an artist based in rural Kentucky. She has been painting since the age of 16, and her preferred medium is acrylic on canvas.
Art: Fear of Child-Rearing by Cierra Rowe
Art: Fear of Child-Rearing by Cierra Rowe