IN THE STUDIO WITH ISABEL ROWER

In a sunlit studio scattered with pigments, clay, and the quiet hum of making, the boundary between function and form is never fixed. Instead, it shifts, shaped by instinct, material, and an ever-evolving dialogue with process. For Isabel Rower, the act of creation is both intuitive and meticulous, an interplay of colour, texture, and scale that resists the starkness of minimalism in favour of something more tactile, more alive.

From childhood experiments with fabric and glue to an upcoming solo exhibition at Marta Gallery in Los Angeles, her practice is a continuous study on shape and substance, where references span from Charlotte Perriand to the archives of the V&A. Here, she reflects on material constraints, the pull of colour, and the ritual of dressing for the studio.

Your work often plays with the boundaries between function and form. How do you approach this balance in your creative process?

I am very drawn to everyday objects. I like to explore the transformative properties of material and the elements of nature; blurring the boundaries between practicality and adornment. I find the trend of minimal starkness to be quite boring and creatively stunting, I hope to make things that conjure curiosity.

Isabel wears the LM Poplin LS Shirt and the LM Poplin Pant.

Growing up in a creative environment, how has your background shaped the way you think about making?

Having two parents who are artists definitely was influential in forming a reverence for trusting certain influences or affinities I may have had towards certain colours, shapes, objects, and textures. They instilled a confidence to trust those instincts and not doubt them which was very encouraging.

When I was young I would make entire wardrobes for my Barbie’s out of fabric, hot glue, and velcro because I didn’t know how to sew. I would spend days making the doll's cardboard houses and decorate the interiors with found doll furniture or make my own out of cardboard or popsicle sticksIts funny to think that decades later I am in a way still doing that just at a much larger scale.

"I am very drawn to everyday objects. I like to explore the transformative properties of material and the elements of nature; blurring the boundaries between practicality and adornment. I find the trend of minimal starkness to be quite boring and creatively stunting, I hope to make things that conjure curiosity."

— ISABEL ROWER

Are there particular references, artistic, architectural, or otherwise, that consistently inform your work?

Lee Bontecou, Valentine Schlegel, Charlotte Perriand, Hun Chung Lee, Rei Kawakubo, and Balthus are artists that I consistently return to. I often comb the digital archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London or the Metropolitan Museum in New York, there are so many incredible things that aren’t on display.

What draws you to the materials you use, and how do they influence the final form of your pieces?

Every material can be fun to work with in different capacities. I have been working primarily with clay for a few years now which has been very fulfilling as well as limiting. Having to always consider the inner dimensions of my kiln can be frustrating when wanting to venture into larger work. I would really like to work with wood again which will be a juxtaposition to clay, because you have to work either additively or subtractively, and with clay it is much more fluid. I’m curious about working with paper or paper pulp as well, and getting back into painting which I haven’t done in many years.

Colour feels like an essential part of your practice. How do you arrive at the tones and combinations you choose?

It's really intuition and how the colour conjures emotion in me personally that leads me to certain shades and combinations. I’ve become a little obsessive about it recently and now I custom mix every colour that I pigment clay with. Before I would use options that came directly from the clay stains offered. It's very satisfying to feel more autonomy over the choices I get to make having more control with the palette now.

What are you currently exploring in your work, and where do you see it evolving?

I am working on my solo exhibition with Marta Gallery in Los Angeles for September 2025. I’m looking forward to developing my practice with ceramic material as well as more pliable materials like paper pulp that I can use similarly to clay but is easier for me to work with on a larger scale. I have been collecting antique textiles that I hope to incorporate. The show is an exciting moment to manifest things I haven’t had an opportunity to explore, but have been on my mind for a long time.

"When I was young I would make entire wardrobes for my Barbie’s out of fabric, hot glue, and velcro because I didn’t know how to sew. I would spend days making the doll's cardboard houses and decorate the interiors with found doll furniture or make my own out of cardboard or popsicle sticksIts funny to think that decades later I am in a way still doing that just at a much larger scale."

— ISABEL ROWER

Do you see experimentation as an intentional part of your practice, or does it emerge naturally through making?

I do a lot of tests. It's time consuming but working in a material like clay taking gambles and risks on large scale pieces is not something I am comfortable doing. A lot of ceramists are committed to this idea of experimentation with firings and find it an essential pillar of their practice, which is maybe why I don’t really identify as a ceramicist but rather an artist working with ceramic material. I find it hard to surrender to the processes involved in ceramics, there is a lot of control that gets taken from you, which is just inherent in the material and processes.

What do you wear in the studio? Do you have a particular uniform that helps you transition into a creative mindset, or is it purely practical?

I often wear clothes I don’t mind getting dirty or dusty. I wish I had a studio uniform, I love looking at photos of Giacometti or Agnes Martin in their studio clothes, perhaps it's something to work on in the new year.

Isabel wears the Vincennt Shirt layered over the LM Poplin Apron Dress.

Isabel Rower @isabel_rower
www.isabelrower.com
Photography Zoe Chait

IN THE STUDIO WITH
ISABEL ROWER

In a sunlit studio scattered with pigments, clay, and the quiet hum of making, the boundary between function and form is never fixed. Instead, it shifts, shaped by instinct, material, and an ever-evolving dialogue with process. For Isabel Rower, the act of creation is both intuitive and meticulous, an interplay of colour, texture, and scale that resists the starkness of minimalism in favour of something more tactile, more alive.

From childhood experiments with fabric and glue to an upcoming solo exhibition at Marta Gallery in Los Angeles, her practice is a continuous study on shape and substance, where references span from Charlotte Perriand to the archives of the V&A. Here, she reflects on material constraints, the pull of colour, and the ritual of dressing for the studio.

Your work often plays with the boundaries between function and form. How do you approach this balance in your creative process?

I am very drawn to everyday objects. I like to explore the transformative properties of material and the elements of nature; blurring the boundaries between practicality and adornment. I find the trend of minimal starkness to be quite boring and creatively stunting, I hope to make things that conjure curiosity.

Isabel wears the LM Poplin LS Shirt and the LM Poplin Pant.

Growing up in a creative environment, how has your background shaped the way you think about making?

Having two parents who are artists definitely was influential in forming a reverence for trusting certain influences or affinities I may have had towards certain colours, shapes, objects, and textures. They instilled a confidence to trust those instincts and not doubt them which was very encouraging.

When I was young I would make entire wardrobes for my Barbie’s out of fabric, hot glue, and velcro because I didn’t know how to sew. I would spend days making the doll's cardboard houses and decorate the interiors with found doll furniture or make my own out of cardboard or popsicle sticksIts funny to think that decades later I am in a way still doing that just at a much larger scale.

"I am very drawn to everyday objects. I like to explore the transformative properties of material and the elements of nature; blurring the boundaries between practicality and adornment. I find the trend of minimal starkness to be quite boring and creatively stunting, I hope to make things that conjure curiosity."

— ISABEL ROWER

Are there particular references, artistic, architectural, or otherwise, that consistently inform your work?

Lee Bontecou, Valentine Schlegel, Charlotte Perriand, Hun Chung Lee, Rei Kawakubo, and Balthus are artists that I consistently return to. I often comb the digital archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London or the Metropolitan Museum in New York, there are so many incredible things that aren’t on display.

What draws you to the materials you use, and how do they influence the final form of your pieces?

Every material can be fun to work with in different capacities. I have been working primarily with clay for a few years now which has been very fulfilling as well as limiting. Having to always consider the inner dimensions of my kiln can be frustrating when wanting to venture into larger work. I would really like to work with wood again which will be a juxtaposition to clay, because you have to work either additively or subtractively, and with clay it is much more fluid. I’m curious about working with paper or paper pulp as well, and getting back into painting which I haven’t done in many years.

Colour feels like an essential part of your practice. How do you arrive at the tones and combinations you choose?

It's really intuition and how the colour conjures emotion in me personally that leads me to certain shades and combinations. I’ve become a little obsessive about it recently and now I custom mix every colour that I pigment clay with. Before I would use options that came directly from the clay stains offered. It's very satisfying to feel more autonomy over the choices I get to make having more control with the palette now.

What are you currently exploring in your work, and where do you see it evolving?

I am working on my solo exhibition with Marta Gallery in Los Angeles for September 2025. I’m looking forward to developing my practice with ceramic material as well as more pliable materials like paper pulp that I can use similarly to clay but is easier for me to work with on a larger scale. I have been collecting antique textiles that I hope to incorporate. The show is an exciting moment to manifest things I haven’t had an opportunity to explore, but have been on my mind for a long time.

"When I was young I would make entire wardrobes for my Barbie’s out of fabric, hot glue, and velcro because I didn’t know how to sew. I would spend days making the doll's cardboard houses and decorate the interiors with found doll furniture or make my own out of cardboard or popsicle sticksIts funny to think that decades later I am in a way still doing that just at a much larger scale."

— ISABEL ROWER

Do you see experimentation as an intentional part of your practice, or does it emerge naturally through making?

I do a lot of tests. It's time consuming but working in a material like clay taking gambles and risks on large scale pieces is not something I am comfortable doing. A lot of ceramists are committed to this idea of experimentation with firings and find it an essential pillar of their practice, which is maybe why I don’t really identify as a ceramicist but rather an artist working with ceramic material. I find it hard to surrender to the processes involved in ceramics, there is a lot of control that gets taken from you, which is just inherent in the material and processes.

What do you wear in the studio? Do you have a particular uniform that helps you transition into a creative mindset, or is it purely practical?

I often wear clothes I don’t mind getting dirty or dusty. I wish I had a studio uniform, I love looking at photos of Giacometti or Agnes Martin in their studio clothes, perhaps it's something to work on in the new year.

Isabel wears the Vincent Shirt layered over the LM Poplin Apron Dress.

Isabel Rower @isabel_rower
www.isabelrower.com
Photography Zoe Chait