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- Aug 26, 2023
- 3 min read

The Spiritual Journey of Alexander Jowett

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SATURDAY EVENING POST

August 26th, 2023

“The seascapes and ocean horizons were an ever-changing constant in my life. I could sit and stare out to the horizon and my mind could be full or empty, concentrated or flighty, calm or excited... Ultimately, it didn’t seem to matter as the horizon always held one notion above all others for me... that of possibility.”

— Alexander Jowett

Toronto-based artist Alexander Jowett incorporates a variety of traditional and non-traditional mediums in his art practice and often uses a variety of materials such as linen, wool, denim, rope, and found material. With a decade-long career as a travel journalist, a degree in philosophy and heavily entrenched in art from an early age, his work tends to focus on the philosophical notion of solitude and meditation. Working in series that draws upon a use of repetitive process, Jowett’s works follow a Kantian philosophy by which we see not based simply upon what is in front of us but by past experiences.

ABOVE IMAGES:

ALEXANDER JOWETT, Ocean Wind, Acrylic and oil on canvas over wood panel, 2023, 48 x 48"

Installation view of Ocean Wind, Desert Sun, and Mountain Moon

ALEXANDER JOWETT, Desert Sun, Acrylic and oil on canvas over wood panel, 2023, 48” x 48”

ALEXANDER JOWETT, Mountain Moon, Acrylic and oil on canvas over wood panel, 2023, 48” x 48”

Detailed view of Ocean Wind and Desert Sun

Jowett possesses an unyielding aspiration to conjure a memory, a moment suspended in silence, a brush with euphoria, or the emptiness of space. This feat is achieved by articulating repeating lines that increase in proximity towards the centre of a working surface, which denotes the particular moment when sky meets sea, sea to land, land to sky. He references some of his works to Baptism of Solitude (Le Baptême de la Solitude), written by American expatriate writer Paul Bowles in his reflection of a dreamlike, transcendental experience of visiting the Sahara Desert.

Through this profound and labour-intensive creative process, Jowett captures the very essence of the tangible realm. Yet, woven within his creations is also a sense of melancholic enchantment, a sensation adrift in the intricate fabric of our perceptual reality. This intricate interplay of purity and delicacy, melded into a complex tapestry, stands as a poignant reminder of the magic surrounding and slipping through our collective human journey.

Alexander Jowett graduated as a philosophy major from Dalhousie University. Jowett’s works are widely collected by both private and corporate collections in North America. His works have been featured in Affordable Art Fair, New York, Art Toronto, Papier Art Fair, and Contact Festival.