Please introduce yourself and your art medium.
Hi, my name is Louise McGowan Bezark. My work begins with a gourd — a living form that once held water, seed, and life. Through a slow and sacred process of carving, pyroengraving, painting, assembling, and gilding, it becomes a vessel not only of form, but of transformation. Journey Vessels explore the beginnings and endings, the arrivals and departures, the liminal spaces that shape who we are and how we move through the world. Each piece is an invitation to pause and reflect on the soul’s journey through time, loss, growth, and renewal. My work is deeply influenced by many of the great wisdom traditions including Buddhism and Taoism. I bring a contemplative, presence-centered approach to my art, one that embraces stillness, impermanence, and the quiet intelligence of nature. These vessels are not only sculptural objects; they are meditations on the sacred space within and around us. I believe we are all shaped by what we carry, and by what we let go. The materials guide me, the process reveals the message, and each completed piece stands as a testament to the mystery of becoming. Art, for me, is not separate from soul, it is how I listen, how I witness. I offer physical representations that transcend words.
What is the most challenging aspect of being an artist?
Over the years I’ve learned through challenges, so I don’t perceive that being an artist has a downside.
What do you hope viewers take away from your artwork?
Most often I hear comments that viewers feel a sense of peace and tranquility.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I find more inspiration in the early hours of the day and always enjoy having coffee in the studio. One of these days I really should get one of the coffee mugs that keeps it a nice steady temperature!
What role does experimentation play in your creative process?
Isn’t every stage of creation a new experiment each time we sit down to create as we are always a new artist in every moment?
If you could take a week off from your regular life to immerse yourself in learning something new, what would it be?
I’m living my dream in everyday life so if I were to take time away from my home and studio, I would sit on a beach soaking in the crisp, salty sea air and the sounds of the ocean’s life force.
___________
Read Louise’s previous interview here.
___________
