Collection: Joe Rowell

My artwork is an exploration of transformation, symbolism, and the hidden structures that shape our reality. Drawing inspiration from esoteric knowledge, mythology, and alchemy, I seek to uncover the patterns that connect the physical and metaphysical, the ancient and the contemporary.

At the core of my process is a balance between spontaneity and structure—a fusion of organic creativity and methodical refinement. I often begin with tea-stained paper, introducing an element of time and ritual into the foundation of my work. Layer by layer, I build upon this base with graphite, ink, watercolor, and gouache, allowing each medium to interact, dissolve, and re-emerge in a process that mirrors alchemical transmutation.

Like an alchemist working towards the quintessence, I embrace destruction as part of creation, repeatedly submerging, layering, and altering my work to find its true form. My background in engineering principles has shaped my understanding of process, structure, and transformation. The way materials move through a system—the interplay of constraints, precision, and adaptability—finds a parallel in my artistic process. Just as an artisan refines raw materials into something intentional, I engage in a methodical yet organic cycle of layering, dissolving, and reconstructing. This fusion of technical discipline and creative intuition allows my work to exist in a space between control and spontaneity, order and entropy.

Mythological archetypes, ancient wisdom, and geometric forms often find their way into my compositions, acting as visual echoes of humanity’s search for meaning. I am particularly drawn to the idea of lost knowledge—forgotten sciences, hidden histories, and the myths that attempt to explain them. My work serves as an act of reconstruction, piecing together fragments of symbolism and structure to create something that feels both familiar and enigmatic.
Ultimately, my art is an ongoing process of exploration and refinement, mirroring the cycles of transformation within life itself. Just as the alchemical process moves through stages of dissolution and coagulation, my work evolves through layers of controlled chaos and reconstruction, each piece embodying a moment of transmutation.