River
Abstracts
A Fine art Collection
By Alexander Rowan
'River Abstracts' is an awe-inspiring collection of photographic artworks by Alex Rowan, showcasing the magnificent Pjorsa River of Southern Iceland.
'After 20 years, I wanted my first exhibition to be of a place few people had ever seen, heard, or explored before; somewhere undiscovered. A place of ineffable beauty you wouldn’t believe to be true. A concrete subject, but abstract art at the same time.
The Pjorsa River is that place for me. To this day I have never seen another soul roam those shores. I’m called back to them like a pilgrim - where the river meets the sea.
It’s shores transform in shape, color and form like an endless song, and the river dances to its end when it enters the sea.
All of the photographs from this collection are of the same river at different times, seen from sky above.
‘It is said rivers
Tremble with fear as they flow
To their home at sea.’
-A Haiku by Alexander Rowan
The
Artworks:
‘River’s Rising Sun’
As shown: (3) 24”x36 Triptych, floating canvas w/ knife varnish .
The most versatile and adaptable piece in the ‘River Abstracts’ collection, River’s Rising Sun is a series of photographs that can be featured as a single piece, a triptych, or grouping of up to (5) originals from the same scene showcasing the glow of the river at first light.
‘Flying Home’
As shown: 48x72 metal print with floating walnut frame
‘Flying Home’ is the featured piece of River Abstracts and an all-time favorite in Alex’s collection: A bird’s eye view of the almighty Pjorsa capturing a surreal moment where seagulls take flight.
‘The Search For Sea’
As shown: 32x48” canvas, floating walnut, varnish
Water carves through rock and leaves veins of stone on the earth’s skin. Early spring moss begins to come to life as browns beget yellow.
‘Of Moss & Stone’
The waters of the Pjorsa glow rich with minerals - sometimes green, sometimes blue, as the summer moss spreads on the barren black plains.
‘Meandering Blues’
This arial photograph in Iceland captures the Pjorsa River crossing the black plains of the southern shore. The water glows blue with minerals, resembling veins etched by erosion and time.
‘Royal Shores’
Meltwater branches across the volcanic sands in an ever-evolving anatomy of the river’s shores. On this particular day the morning light glowed warm on the black sands to reveal hidden purple hues.
‘Silken Dunes’
As meandering streams carve through the landscape, shallow pools form that sometimes attract birds within an otherwise barren terrain.
‘Sandforms’
The prominent black sands give form to the river as erosion transforms into abstraction. The setting sun begins to refract gold in the mineral rich glacial meltwaters from Hofsjökull Glacier, which gives the river life.
‘River ROots’
Braided channels spill across the dark crust of the earth below, and moss glows gold as it springs to life with season’s change.
‘Black Sands Beach’
The mineral rich waters of the river meet the black sandy beach, and sulfer shines gold as light refracts along the shores.
‘River Potion’
The colors of the Pjorsa change by the hour as minerals mix and the sun dances through the sky, as its form endlessly reshapes itself through movement and time.
