Arizona Artist a Day: Day 21: Lexie Bowers

Alexandra Bowers

E. Lexiebowersart@gmail.com

Bio: Alexandra Bowers is a Phoenix based artist who received her BFA in 2012 from Arizona State University. Inspired by the natural surrounding environment, Bowers utilizes data collected while exploring to produce wood burned studies of plants and animals she finds along the way. Bowers has had the privilege of showcasing her work at the Tempe Center for Art in their TCA Juried Biennial:Wood show, as well as at Eye Lounge, a contemporary art space, where she debuted her solo exhibition Crossed Paths. In 2014 Bowers was a finalist for the Big Brain Awards through the Phoenix New Times, for their Visual Art category. In 2015 she displayed her solo show Alexandra Bowers: Onloaded 2, curated by phICA, where she showcased over 100 wood burned portraits of moths from North America. She was also one of seven chosen for the 2015 Governor’s Arts Awards. In 2016 she was a finalist for the “Good N’ Plenty” artist award granted by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Her work is currently in Sky Harbor International Airport’s Museum Gallery, where she was handpicked to display alongside three other Arizona based artists. As Bowers continues on her journey as an emerging artist, she is continuously looking for opportunities within the arts community, including exhibiting both nationally and internationally.

Artist Statement: Having grown up in the Sonoran Desert, I’ve learned it’s easy to forget what exists naturally just beyond our backyard walls and stucco-covered developments. Technology, automobiles, and airconditioning all help to detach us, physically and psychologically, from our arid surroundings. My work brings awareness to the unique plant and animal species that survive in an extremely harsh climate while simultaneously adapting to human encroachment. Utilizing the wood burning process, known as pyrography, allows me to illustrate with heat, portraits of these living entities. Much like a photograph, they are captured in a specific state before they disappear. Urban sprawl has forced our habitat to either dissipate or move further away. As we pave, develop, and grow our urban cities, the desert diminishes and is forced to change and adapt to its human neighbors. My work is concerned with preserving these living organisms before they’re gone.