A composition of soft, feminine colors against harsh reds and distressed black. A face lingering in the chaos, with distant colors forming behind.
Upcoming Books and Tom Antona Appreciation Post
My debut book of poetry; The Devil Bakes A Cake For His Wife is scheduled to be released in late '25. Meanwhile, my book Mood, with a foreword by Tom Antona (of Alice Donut), is to be announced v. soon (also within 2025).
Both books are something that I have put a tremendous amount of work into, with Mood having been in the making for over 4 years and The Devil Bakes A Cake For His Wife, having been in the making for over 2 years. On and off I have had a great desire to write but have also been dealing with deeply personal things. Very big hugs to my husband, for encouraging me to keep with it, despite me feeling somewhat overwhelmed, whenever I revisit things and write longform but also for understanding my intent behind Mood.
This is also a Tom Antona appreciation post. Seriously this guy, who is a fierce pure-talent, is forever cool and someone who has my respect. To be given the privilege to talk in depth, about art and passion and beyond - tons of conversations, with an artist, whom I admire means so much to me. Words do not cut it. Like, at all. Tom has basically been a mentor to me. His sincere words have helped me a great deal, when I wasn't so sure and more than that, inspired me to keep going. When someone can do that, talk to you, as an artist, and revive in you this sense of confidence in what you are doing, is nothing short of amazing and I am so grateful. He also owns multiple pieces of my art (pieces that I always assumed would not find homes) and that in and of itself is deeply heartwarming. Trying to capture my gratitude in words fails me because it is more than what I could put words on. People who know me know that I don't expect much, especially in the way of anyone giving a damn about what I do. So it means alot to me. It's a huge deal to me. Props to my husband for putting us in touch, ages ago. And Tom, you already know how much this means to me but seriously, thank you so, so much.
Realism
Progress on (untitled as of yet) Realism. I have no desire for realism, unless speaking about sincerity. There is a kind of beauty in honesty that enriches art. But traditional realism? No. I used to adore it, some time ago. I was so fascinated in capturing the exactness, the essence of a person. For a while, I was very into it. But things change. I find abstract portraiture far more intimate. There is no comparison. Intimacy in art, to me, is very important. If a person were to paint someone, would they prefer them to capture their reflection or would they prefer them to go deeper....and paint who they truly are, based on outward mannerisms, the way that they speak, miscroscopic traits and that which they are unaware of - signatures of who they are beneath the surface? I would prefer the latter. I would prefer to paint someone as they are, from what I see rather than a surface depiction.
unbound
Before I began painting more common elements of surface nature, I made art that many would refer to as 'dark'. Admittedly, perhaps on the surface that is how it appeared but I am of the mind that beneath any given surface lies deeper meaning — things that you cannot see right away. Sometimes you become so consumed with your art, that you forget the eyes outside of it. If one knew the artist's intention behind a piece, things would be clarified; meaning would become clearer and shapes would not look so...misshapen. But art is a mystery. Not so long ago, something happened and it changed things and shook me up pretty badly. While outside, upset under a tree, trying to get a grip and failing, I remembered what I had said in an interview; ''An artist has to break to grow''. You should be careful what you say, because I ate my f/cking words and found them mocking me. The more that I wept, the harder those words laughed at me. So...while in the depths, through trying to mask and avoid, circling the drain of being lost, running from the things which would not let me sleep, eat or think — I tried to paint things which were the opposite of how I felt; simpler things. Meaningful, yes but simple compared to what I commonly painted before all of this happened. It was too much all at once. Spiraling. I tried to gather myself and began painting a fusion of plants, landscapes and glowing shadows. After a while of painting these things, I began to feel a familiar kind of hunger. What I did not realize, through doing this — through repressing things, was that I was restraining myself in painting. I know the foundation of my art. I know what's behind painting. I also know that you cannot run from who you are. How can one fully express themselves if they are locking part of themselves away? What is art, if there is restraint? I think in modern times, it has become rule to put a word on things. Or to be just one thing. Or don a label that encompasses you as a human being. Impossible. In reality, I find that humans are the ''et cetera'' of nature. So, art must remain unbound.
'Sex' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| An intense interpretation of carnal and animalistic instincts. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/sex-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
*edit* As a female artist, I am sometimes made to feel ashamed or uncomfortable whenever I paint things of this nature, especially concerning things involving sex. It's like, if I paint it - then i'm somehow wrong, unclean or have created something offensive. I am not twelve. I have earned the right to paint whatever I please. If one takes offense, then that is a choice and with this in mind, one should also make the proactive choice of looking away, while understanding that things outside of them do not have to mirror them. Art is a freedom to express. An artist should never be dictated or controlled by audience. What sort of artist only paints things that others will approve of? That sounds pointless and sterile. How could anyone find satisfation in this? It is like eating a cookie made of styrofoam. It can also be frustrating when I paint something and it is taken the wrong way, the worst way or my intention is completely misunderstood. Obviousy, in art, that is a constant, sometimes it's a beautiful thing, given that no one has control over someone else's perception. Sometimes it can be somewhat annoying, when brash assumptions are made. As a woman, when I paint things of this nature it does not mean that I am akin to some sex starved nymphomaniac or that I am sending subliminal messages to a hypohetical audience or that I seeksome form of pseuco-validation. It almost becomes sexist but I struggle to use words like this who have essentially lost their meaning, given society's odd way of warping things. Maybe it isn't society, maybe it's the digital age. Regardless it seems as though anything remotely sexual in nature is viewed as smut or taboo, nevermind ''tastes''. In reality, everyone is a product of sex. This is logic and art, of its many definitions, is a statement of existence, fueled by complexities, emotion and private things. To keep art unbound is to maintain purity. Unbound art means that you do not care or give much mind to what someone else thinks about your creation. As an artist, one stunts their growth, when such things become important. Typos galore, i'm sure but I haven't had quite enough espresso to fix them just yet.
'Spirit' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| A composition of that which is elusively beyond comprehension. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/spirit-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
'Cannibal (Tortured Artist)' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| As an artist, you are a kind of performer; opening yourself for all to see. Perhaps your audience consumes you and your pain makes it all the more appetizing. Perhaps enough is never really enough, for them and they are not sated until all of you, every bit, is on display. Then comes the great climax, as you are littered with roses, attention and applause. One final standing ovation from your audience of empty faces. After you have given your all and passionately emptied yourself comes silence. Only then will your audience walk away, on to the next amusement — leaving you as you lay motionless. This portrait is a question of what it means to be famous and to know, deep down, that fame is fleeting because you cannot hold everyone's attention forever. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/cannibal-tortured-artist-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
Early Compositions
My earliest works pave the way for current works. As an artist (painter), change is narrated through brushstrokes. My earliest drawings and compositions have always imprinted on later art. Especially my way of capturing the human form. It has always been abstract, especially after realising that realism did not quite satiate me. My way of painting human beings is more of an abstract and figurative fusion. A good example of this is the drawing shown below (which I completed several years ago using markers and colored pencils); 'Famine'. I tend to distort faces, while adding colors that accentuate what I am conveying in any given composition. A much later example of this is through looking at my paintings 'Sex' and 'Cannibal (Tortured Artist)'.
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| 'Famine' - Cierra G. Rowe est. 2016 |
'Powder Blue' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| This composition consists of a milky moon sitting in the night sky, over farmland, surrounded by ethereal swirls of whispering blues, purples and dusty pink. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/powder-blue-abstract-expressionist-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
'Impose' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| Soft and light hues of pinks and yellows coalesce in this vast sky, over dark green trees and soft fog. Impose is an intimate scene that I observed not so long ago, in the gentle silence of the countryside, stillness of the evening sky and hum of nature. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/impose-abstract-expressionist-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
'Fever Dream' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| Colors brush against each other, in this intense and pastel-like depiction of a fever dream. I wanted to focus on intensity and atmosphere, in this piece, through pitting effervescent colors against the strong presence of black. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/fever-dream-abstract-expressionist-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
Brushstrokes
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| Most of my photos appear neat and tidy. Well, the truth is there is nothing neat and tidy about painting or creating art at all. Not the pain behind the creation and not the actual clothing that one dons when painting. Like most things online, you can crop out the ugly and only show the cleaner, neater, more appealing-to-the-eye aspects of any given thing. Here is me painting, with a cloth on the side to swipe my brush. |
Textured
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| Years ago, I was obsessed with smoothness in my paintings; constantly layering colors and smoothing them over, to achieve evenness. Then, I realized that I love texture. The reason that there exists texture within paintings is because of the process where the mind unfolds during completion. There is a progression; you begin with one color but then decide to use another color. one changes their mind and paints over the perceived mistake, to form something beautiful, tangible and perfect. Artistic perfection is the sense of satisfaction from creating — or perhaps, on a much deeper level, that's gratitude. |
Coffee
Coffee sans cream; the only way to truly indulge. This particular brand is very strong, with tones of chocolate but not too heavy. It's smooth; like someone playing a saxophone, while wearing a tuxedo. Or maybe like Spandau Ballet. Oh yeah, now that's smooth.
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Art Director
My role at Rawhead Journal has recently changed from Art Editor to Art Director. It means a great deal that my passion, enthusiasm and deep interest in art is understood and appreciated. Having always gravitated towards art, being an outsider artist, I am very much grateful to be able to listen to the stories of other artists, while helping to contribute towards a broader conversation of what it means to be an artist, interpretation of artwork and how varied art is.
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| When you go from ''art editor'' to ''art director'' dance |
'Cerulean' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| Fire flies and glowing trees come to life, one summer night. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/cerulean-abstract-expressionist-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
Art Editor of Rawhead Journal
A short while ago, I was invited to fulfill the role of Art Editor at Rawhead Journal. As a vigorous lover of both art and literature, this means a great deal to me. A very special thank you to John T. Leonard for reaching out to me with offering of this position and for all of the kind and generous words sent my way regarding the importance and significance of this role and why I am ''a truly invaluable member of the growing team''. Thank you so much.
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| https://rawheadjournal.org/about/ |
'Sun Dream' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| Dark trees, holding shades of green, stand beneath intense sun rays. Deep pink skies, flecked by blue and black, stretch on in the distance. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/sun-dream-abstract-expressionist-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
Goddess Arts Mag Interview
A special thank you to Lena Snow (Founder), Jana Ebert and everyone at Goddess Arts Mag.
GAM: Please tell us something about your background and your art journey so far.
Cierra G. Rowe: My artistic background is ardent, rife with color and deeply personal. Having become absorbed by painting, my art journey is one of metamorphosis. I am an independent artist who began painting seriously during adolescence. Having no formal background in the arts, I gravitated towards painting naturally and am an autodidact. In terms of artistic direction, my passion is my north star so to speak.
GAM: Describe what a normal day looks like as an artist.
Cierra G. Rowe: Mornings commonly bring low temps. With the outdoors being a natural muse, I like to enjoy a hot chocolate and scratch out sketches of what I may or may not paint later on. I may also jot down poems, it all depends on the mood. If I am already in the middle of a painting, then it's likely that I'll be consumed by that until completion. I am a country girl at heart, having been raised in the south, so small comforts are important to me.
GAM: Can you tell us more about the theme in your art and your inspiration?
Cierra G. Rowe: Nature and emotion are constants for me, within my art. I feel most compelled to paint things that are of significance to me, through capturing them in my own way. Often this lends itself to be in the form of nature, scenes and abstract forms both interior and exterior. I find inspiration in the ''little things'' and personal moments.
GAM: How does your art life impact other parts of your life?
Cierra G. Rowe: I feel that the two are mutually exclusive — one in the same. Life imitates art and the muse of art is life. I think that art acts as a kind of antidote for the complexities that often accompany life.'Innocence Interrupted'
GAM: Tell us about your best experience in the art world so far.
Cierra G. Rowe: I am not sure that 'the art world' pertains to me. I don't mean this in an arrogant way. As an outsider, I don't know that I fit into what the art world wants, nor do I have any desire to. The concept of 'the art world', at its very core seems to be a coterie of influential names who decide what is and is not based on aesthetic, popular culture, monetary gain and other plagues of society. If this changes, then perhaps I could write out a better answer. The only world that is of any importance at all to me is this one Earth.
GAM: What practical advice can you give to fellow artists?
Cierra G. Rowe: I am hesitant to give any sort of advice, given that I am not in anyone else's shoes. I am also unsure if anyone actually wants my advice. But if anyone were to want my advice, I would say that the best thing that any given artist can do for themselves, regardless of chosen medium, is to stay true to who they are.
GAM: What are you working on at the moment and are there any upcoming events you would like to talk about?
Cierra G. Rowe: At the moment, I am painting plant life inspired by my home region, along with scenes from the area where I grew up.
crazy skies
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| A cup of milky hot tea, as heavy rain swooshes the trees and Harriet Wheeler sings about the summertime as I paint a crazy, chaotic sky. Thunderstorms all week, so says the weatherman. |
Happy Father's Day
Currently baking my dad a diabetic cake for Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all of you dads, papas, daddies, pa's and grandpas out there. I hope that each of you realize how special you are and how much of an impact you make each and every day just by being ''dad''.
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| This is a photo that I snapped a few years ago, while gathering fire wood with my father. It was a really nice day, late in the year. |
'One Fine Day' by Cierra G. Rowe (and a brief word about my landscape paintings)
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A planter of red begonias sit at the forefront of an unfolding summer day. Behind them, cumulonimbus clouds linger near thick and tangled masses of trees. |
Landscapes have their mysteries. I have photographed them often. Some, from a distance and other times closer. But before I picked up the camera, I travelled often as a child. In hindsight I was in awe of how different one region was from another and startled by how many places lingered just outside of what I was able to see from my tiny hometown. When you travel, the world seems to expand.
During that time, my idea of 'home' was primitive and naive. It was after adolescence that idea changed; becoming more emotional, more complex. 'Home' means many things to many different people. It's the place that you know, the place that surrounds you, the private space cushioned between self and nature, the sacred setting of time, season and familiar comforts.
I grew up in a very southern and rural area, so overtime nature became something of a confidant for me. To find inspiration for my landscapes, I often revisit my photography or go on nature walks and snap more photos of things that make an impression on me; Trees swaying in the wind before a heavy rain, a rainbow breathing life into the sky, a setting sun kissing freshly tilled land as day winds down to night. Nature is a huge part of my background; both artistically, and personally. When I paint, I like to capture whatever I am seeing in my own way, with colors that fit the emotional aspect of a scene (how it makes me feel). I translate that reverence for nature through hues in my palette that hold significance to me. I am also very much into texture and enjoy using thick paints with my palette knife to achieve this within my landscapes.
'Rainbow After the Storm' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| A late Spring double rainbow appears after a storm, spreading across the sky behind a thicket of trees. Rainbows are an incredibly beautiful natural phenomenon that often appear around here, following a hard downpour of rain. https://www.artofcierra.com/product/rainbow-after-the-storm-palette-knife-landscape-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
'Candy Sun' by Cierra G. Rowe
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| Lush greenery and thick masses of trees swim together under a pink sun, hanging in the sky on the first evening of summer. Sunsets in this region are often a treat, with many of them having intense colors or simply a pastel background holding a striking sun. (inspired by my photography). https://www.artofcierra.com/product/candy-sun-palette-knife-landscape-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
Candy Sun, Reference
Photo on bottom was taken by me of a beautiful pink sun that I saw. Upon staring at it, I immediately knew that I wanted to capture it. So, in my own way I did.
'Candy Sun'
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| Reference, Photo Copyright © Cierra G. Rowe |
Intimate Abstract Landscapes
A few days ago, in the later hours, while daylight was still visible, the sun was an absolutely gorgeous shade of pink. High in the sky, above dark green trees. It was a pink sun in an ashy blue sky with soft accents. I was completely in awe and couldn't stop staring. It was then that I decided I would really like to paint scenes from around here. By this I mean plant life in my home region, intimate landscapes and scenes from the area where I grew up that make an impression on me or that are important to me natively. I have not painted scenes from my surroundings since quitting oils a few years ago.
I take nature photos often. I took a photo of the sun that I mentioned on my phone and that is the photo shown on the screen in this pic. You can't really see how vivid it is or the impression of the colors, like at all due to camera resolution but it was really nice and very pink. Very grateful to have captured this photo to use as reference for the painting on the left which I am completing with palette knives, brush and heavy body acrylics.
Serving Guests
My mother invited me to a church event. Church is a healing place and reminds me of my Grandmother. It really does. Like, whenever I go there I feel really close to her because it meant alot to her. In the photo, I and other women are serving guests for a special event at church.
My grandmother and mother, since I was a little girl, served often on the Kitchen Committee. My grandmother was elected head of the Kitchen Committee before my mother and then my mother was elected as head of the Kitchen Committee afterwards. Sometimes my aunt even helped out. Seeing all three of them together was so nice. I really miss that. This committee is a group of women who organize, prepare and serve food and tend to guests when there is an event or ceremony.
As a little girl, I often remember how tired they were at the closing of an event and how my Grandmother didn't want to leave my mother to sort everything out. Instead she stayed even longer, working as a team with ma', to sort things out once guests went home.
This particular event was a celebration of women, so women from many parts of the region were there. This time, I was privileged to be part of a small group of women who helped serve. It wasn't the Kitchen Committee but something similar involving serving.
Serving, in any way, stems from gratitude and it was a privilege to greet so many amazing and beautiful women who I had not known before, along with seeing familiar faces from when I was a little girl. May is hard. It's easier to just like, pretend that it isn't May. That's how hard it is for me. So, I was a little nervous about going but my husband was encouraging and supportive. It was comforting. Everyone was so nice. Even that lady who knew that I didn't know how to use the Keurig to make her a cup of coffee.
I know that some people get weirded out when anyone mentions church online. Sometimes people tease or have something condescending to say about it. Online you're expected to be whoever people want you to be or whoever people have decided that you are and you're judged if you have any sort of tradition that isn't on par with popular culture. It's whatever though *shrug*. I just prefer to post things that matter to me. This church is a place of love, peace and healing. A place with people of all appearances. Going to a place that helps you shouldn't be condemned, but instead encouraged.
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| (I'm wearing the dark scarf) |
The Connection Between Mental Health and Art, Interview with Kathryn Vercillo
Thank you to the amazing Kathryn Vercillo, author of Ghosts of Alcatraz, Ghosts of San Francisco, The Artist's Mind: The Creative Lives and Mental Health of Famous Artists and many others, for giving me the opportunity, through her compelling research, to open up about something that I ordinarily do not talk about: mental health. Mental Health is a term that is often stigmatized. Nonetheless, it remains a relevant topic of importance that applies to everyone. As an artist, it isn't often that I am given the chance to speak on this subject. Atleast not in this way. Everyone, at some time or another struggles or has struggled. Sometimes scars are left behind. Sometimes deep scars are left behind. And as a person, you wear them as best as you can. Or maybe you hide them because that is easier than confronting the pain. It doesn't mean that you are abnormal. If anything, it means that you are real. It does not change that it hurts. But it also does not define you. Kathryn's ingenious approach to connecting art and psychology isn't just brilliant but genuinely compassionate. Through giving the artist an opportunity to answer interview questions with both art and words, she is bridging the gap between mental health and art in a captivating way. As a person, sometimes it feels as though there is immense pressure to be the best version of yourself, even when you are struggling or to always present the best side of yourself, even when you are exhausted. Discussing mental health does not mean that you are isolated. Like art, it is a dialogue that needs everyone's voices to coalesce. Thank you so much, Kathryn for all that you do and for furthering the discussion of the connection between mental health and art. Read Part I and Part II of my interview here:
Part I (Visual Answers): https://createmefree.substack.com/p/interview-with-cierra-g-rowe-part
Part II: https://createmefree.substack.com/p/interview-with-painter-cierra-g-rowe
'Serendipity' by Cierra G. Rowe
 Surreal skies linger overhead, among thick and soft clouds, over an empty back road. |
| https://www.artofcierra.com/product/serendipity-acrylic-on-canvas-panel-8x10-framed |
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