About
Drawer • Sculptor • Painter • Educator
Alexandra Carus Bowker is a British fine artist, designer and creative educator, based between London and her home county of Lancashire.
Her practice is rooted in observation, enthused with a love of exploring the fluidity of recording through drawn, painterly and sculptural materials and processes: engaged with traditional processes while pushing the boundaries of a contemporary approach to representational art, blending an almost abstract handling of materials, to embody a fluidity which reflects modern sensibilities.
Drawing encapsulates my desire to create a well observed piece, whilst playing with the fluidity in my handling of the materials. It provides the structure through which I can explore materiality and form. I am particularly fascinated in the way in which tonal values, coupled with the use of form, create an intriguing interplay of light and space. My intention is to retain that fluidity in a playful and reactive manner, disrupting the form: responding to the light and character of the subject, without becoming too rigid nor transfixed by absolute detail.
My current pieces explore the physicality and immediacy of the spaces created in between ourselves and our interactions with the world: a dialogue exploring present and past connotations associated with the countryside, our place within it, our interactions with each other and our consequent imprint. Immersed in our inherent link with the terrains of our habitat; whether these be our ancestral lands or adoptive, we are entwined and connected by our engagement, or even for some, our lack of. The cultivating of these lands through the ages has determined much of our association, in turn often driven by necessity — leaving room for sentiment, though not necessarily sentimentality. In a world where passages of society seem increasingly desensitised with the natural environments around us, how do we ‘stay’ rooted? We all have an imprint, moments in time which linger as we progress onwards. If we could anchor these spaces as tangible moments, would they be entwined with our essence? Could they become manifest?
Drawing upon historical contexts, traditional skills are integral to my practice and inform contemporary interpretations of ambiguity and at times, tension between the human form and the environment. There is a blurring of lines at the intersection of representation and interpretation, creating a sense of metamorphosis and fluidity set within the parameters of a representational framework. I enjoy exploring compositions which lend themselves to both intended and unintentional narratives, where figuration and natural forms evolve through a dialogue between observation, memory and imagination. Personal experiences and imaginings invite the viewer to engage with the physical and sensory aspects, employing colour and a layering of marks to evoke emotional responses to the delicate balance between us and natural rhythms.
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City & Guilds of London Art School | MA Fine Art
The Heatherley School of Fine Art | Post Diploma in Figurative Sculpture & Lifedrawing
The Royal Drawing School | The Drawing Development Year
Lancaster University - ELIHE | BA Hons Fine Art Integrated Media
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2024
RECENT
Verrocchio Figurative Sculpture Residency | Laura Postle Masterclass, Casole d’Elsa Tuscany, August
Diploma Graduates' Exhibition | The Heatherley School of Fine Art, July
Interim Show: Sculpture | The Heatherley School of Fine Art, April - May
Drawing Beyond | Royal Drawing School at Breakers Gallery, Notting Dale, London, March
Interim Show: Painting | The Heatherley School of Fine Art, December - March
2023
SELECTED PREVIOUS
Fragments of Life | Brompton Chapel Gallery, London
Verrocchio Figurative Sculpture Residency | Laura Postle Masterclass, Casole d’Elsa Tuscany
Gyllian Foster Prize for Drawing
Diploma Graduates' Exhibition | The Heatherley School of Fine Art
Capture the Castle | Clitheroe Contemporary - Highly Commended
Clitheroe Contemporary | Holmes Mill, Clitheroe
Art Open | Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery
60 Years of Wildness! | Lancashire Wildlife Trust
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CURRENT
Victoria & Albert Museum | V&A Innovate Project Development Team
Drawing Studio 23 — Royal Drawing School Graduate Collective | Design, Promotion and Curatorial Teams
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Blackburn — Artsmark Platinum Award, Arts Council England | Teacher of Art & Design Technology; Gold Arts Award Advisor
PREVIOUS
Draw Clitheroe | Freelance Artist
Manchester Art Gallery | Workshop Artist and Learning Invigilator
The Couture Collective — Manchester Art Gallery | Discussion Leader
Lost Gardens of Manchester – National Trust at Manchester Art Gallery | Exhibition Gardener and Invigilator
Children’s University – Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery, The Whitaker, Rossendale Museum & Art Gallery and Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museum | Workshop Artist
Spring into Action - Spring into Art, Oswaldtwistle | SEN Youth Workshop Artist
Action Factory Community Arts Blackburn, Lancashire | Workshop Artist, including for: 'Landgate Create' Turnpike Gallery; Blackburn Festival; Community Arts Facilitator; STUN Roadshow
NOISEFestival: NOISELab, Manchester | Exhibition and Event Assistant
Art in Unusual Spaces – Leeds Corn Exchange Drawing Extravaganza | Event Assistant
Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery | Workshop Artist; Arts Assistant