Rising Stars: Meet Cybele Rowe of Landers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cybele Rowe.

Hi Cybele, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was never that interested in art as a child and I am very glad that art has taken me on such an interesting path for the past 40 plus years. I completed my degrees in Australia and was awarded a traveling art scholarship that allowed me to visit NYC at 22 which became my home for many years.
Art school introduced me to ceramics and my first mentors. With clay’s recyclability I found I was able to study form without ruining materials and the thermal color making of the kiln provided a perfect combination for exploration in becoming both painter and sculptor.
My journey has included children, teaching, marriage, divorce and moving coasts. The one constant was that I worked everyday, whether I had studio or a kiln. I was building form, reading everything I found interesting, writing stories, drawing and painting the contemplation and learnings, which leans into authenticity. I have always made time, which has been the primary enabler of my art. Getting good takes time, time to think and time to build. Even when my children were born, I knew in order to maintain my art practice and mental health, I needed to work daily. Like many cultures my babies were strapped to my body and my life moved forward with them as a part of it.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Keeping integrity towards the work and understanding the time limit of my building life may be the only challenge. There are ugly works that have to be made to get to the beauty. I work in what I call “Volumetric Painting”, that satisfies my 2D and 3D desires. Most of my work comes from finding a level of contemplation of the space taken by my forms, which sounds simple yet it can bring me to my knees and to tears.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Luckily my work has been able to be sold with Interior designers as well as Art Dealers through the years. I have always been able to have a place for my work, I think because I have my own style coupled with technical scale and skills. I have a punk attitude that has carried my spirit which has created a lifetime of work.
“I am a builder, I satisfy myself, I build”.
As I get older and am not as physically strong as I once was. Being a hand builder who works by herself the “Time is of the Essence” saying is prevalent now more than ever. There is still time for mistakes, there is not time to waste.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I have never believed in the concept of “risk-taking”. If I did would I say being a female sculptor a risk, is moving to America at 22 a risk, is having children when my peers were chasing their “careers” a risk, is working in big colorful ceramics which was not de rigueur 40 plus years ago a risk? I prefer to look at my life as wonderful choices and a very productive way to be alive. I remember when I was at Art School I was asked what do I think was going to be of most value to my life? It wasn’t money or art fame it was being the master of my own time. Still holds true today. I am also beautifully supported by my gallery Eric Firestone Gallery in NYC. He found me from an art postcard stuck on another artists wall in Upstate NY where it had been stuck for 15 years. “Who is that?” his Gallery Director asked and that as Eric said is Kismet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cybelerowe.com
• Instagram: cybeleroweart
• Facebook: CybeleRowe
• Twitter: Cybele Rowe