Max Rowe takes skiing to the next level in his fun, poppy art collections. Rowe describes himself as “in search of flow.” He does this through skiing and art; for him, finding flow is a release into a state of presence with his mind and body by letting go and accepting what’s coming his way.
Art by Max Rowe
Rowe relates and contextualizes a lot of his reality through skiing and illustrates this through his paintings. “I like to depict that specific moment of action when the skier is really focused, but there is a lot of action around,” he says. For him, this is a great representation of flow. He does this through bold colors and dark lines similarly found in his influences of graphic art and comics.
He also admits to painting very impressionistically based on his influences of the natural beauty around him. “I’m painting the way I see these things,” Rowe comments. Having grown up in Colorado, Rowe believes nature naturally gets conveyed through his artwork and is his biggest muse. Rowe’s series of work has included paintings of mountain tops, animals, yoga poses, skiers and riders. “I’m really interested in ski art currently, but I will continue evolving,” he shares.
“That’s the fun thing about art,” he adds. “As I continue to grow and learn more about the world and myself, my art changes as well. It’s something that always keeps me invested in doing it for myself.”
Rowe also finds influences in professional skiers, because they are masters of their craft. “Skiing has always been a way for me to understand the world and interpret my surroundings,” Rowe says. Rowe grew up skiing Vail on the weekends, and after graduating from the
University of Colorado, he returned to the mountains to teach skiing at Vail for many years.
Skiing became deeply rooted in his identity just as much as painting. Rowe also grew up taking painting lessons from a neighbor and went on to earn a studio art degree in college. “I’ve always seen myself as an artist,” he says, “not just through my drawing and painting but the way that I approach skiing has always been a natural way for me to express myself.”