Squared One

Here is the work I’ve begun since summer 2007. Its a series that explores my relationship to my observations of the real world, translating those observations into information, and then communicating that information through language and other coded expression. Some pieces are in a more finished state than others, and I am still undecided whether or not any of them are finished. But when I find out, I’ll let you know.

This is from my “Chewing on Teeth” show at the Baltimore Theatre Project.

New Old

I swear I’ll have a post of somethings I’ve been working on recently, I just don’t have a readily available awesome digital camera to document. But I do have old files of past projects. This one in particular was made up of many shaped canvases, which were painted with blacks, whites and grays – the focus was on the texture I guess… but really the focus had nothing to do with the actual painting (verb), it was more about the painting (noun)… the thing! thingness… its realness, its heavy-ass-object-hood. The “viewer” was able to interact with the piece, so long as she read the disclaimer, and he put on the proper attire (jump suit, helmet, and gloves). SheHe could indeed change the painting physically by moving the individual pieces around on the grid of screws that I made, laying them on the floor, or propping them against the wall… whatever… ya know? man? But the sad thing about this piece, is obvious restrictions… you couldn’t paint on the thing, you couldn’t hurt them at all (purposefully), you couldn’t hang them where ever… you were only allowed to use what I provided, in a certain space that I sectioned off. So in the end, you could take the pieces from some one else’s idea, and put them together in your own way, and then know that you made this unique thing… out of someone else’s unique thing… out of someone else’s unique thing…. out of someone else’s unique thing.

Making Paintings

In the Picture – Chris Owen

Photo Credit – Giuliana Pinto

Making Paintings 2

In the Picture – Cory Cone

Photo Credit – Chris Owen

Random /b/

Here we have a few random pieces I’ve done in the past couple-a-years. They may be from school, they may be commissions, they might even be things I did on my own.

sculptures, paints, found stuff, lost stuff.

Green Bust

Gray Bust

Donkey Kong with Bubbles

Brush Fire

Chair One

Destroy Frank Stella

Being Steve Irwin (rip)

Order + Chaos

Here are a few of my “black” paintings. They were made with charcoal, chalk, conte, pastel, graphite and oil on canvas. They were created in 2004 and 2005.

Mimic

Holy Holy Holy

Down

Bask

Sister 1

Sister 2

Coupling Act

From the Moon

I think it was three summers ago… that’d be June/July of 2005, I was asked by the owner of the PaperMoon Diner here in Baltimore, MD to design the menu covers for the restaurant. It took me a month and a half to produce 207 individual collaged menu covers. They were made from old science periodicals, children’s books, and various big/slim books – the collage material was collected from an old assortment of magazines ranging from the 1940s to the late 60’s. (I’m usually not a fan of using images that have lost their context except for being references to their past, but if you see the restaurant, you’d understand). I’m not going to put up all 207, but instead, just a few that I really have come to love.

MOON MENU 1

MOON MENU 2

MOON MENU 3

MOON MENU 4

MOON MENU 5

MOON MENU 6

MOON MENU 7

MOON MENU 8

MOON MENU 9

MOON MENU 10

Art a la France

Here are a few images of the projects that I created while I was in Aix-en-Provence, France for a semester abroad. All of the pieces were displayed in a darkened room, and you were given a small multiple-LED flashlight so that you may light each piece in which ever way you saw fit. Most of the pieces were built to interact with the light in some way, others were just regular drawings.

I don’t really enjoy explaining what each project is about. I feel that the viewer’s growth is diminished by trying to “find” the artist’s meaning instead of the viewer’s own personal relationship to the art work at hand. Here is an example of the Artist’s Statement that I showed at the opening of the show. Don’t get me wrong though – I do want you to communicate with me on what you think, on what I think – because that kind of comparison can be beneficial as well.

Les Os (The Bones)

^ Human vertebrae, placed on hand-made shelves

La Rue c’est Le Stylo (The Road is the Pen) View 1

La Rue c’est Le Stylo (The Road is the Pen) View 2

La Rue c’est Le Stylo (The Road is the Pen) Final View

^ Walking around the city of Aix-en-Provence, France with canvases attached to my feet. Displayed with photographs of the journey.

Rubbings (40 Minute walk)

Rubbings (20 Minute Walk)

Rubbings (30 Minute walk)

^Walked through the city, stopping every ten minutes to do a rubbing of what was under my feet (of course I didn’t stop if I was in the middle of the road)

Lead Table (View 1)

Lead Table (View 2)

Lead Art (View 1)

Lead Art (View 2)

Lead Untitled (View 1)

Lead Untitled (View 2)

^Drawings made with mechanical pencil lead either glued to paper or placed in tiny holes in the wall

Email Project

^A Project done with my girlfriend, Giuliana Pinto. We communicated with each other via email. She sent me the original dimensions and directions on how to do what she did to the painting. I followed the directions as best as I could, and then I added my own layer to the painting. I emailed her directions for my layer. We continued this for the entire semester in France. (She was in Baltimore, MD at the Time.)

Paper 1

Paper 2

Paper 3

Paper 4

Paper 5

Paper 6

Paper 7 (View 1)

Paper 7 (View 2)

Paper 8

^These pieces were made with strips of paper (1cm in width) that were placed in slits cut into the wall with an exacto knife. This gave an effect similar to venetian blinds. The strips cast shadows and allowed light through, in turn objects, shapes, forms, and words could be created.

First Painting Post

Alright – So what I have for you here is the most recent body of work that I’ve finished. The images below are of 8 paintings that I completed for my Senior Thesis at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The 8 paintings are 2′x4′x1″ in dimension. My concept of these paintings runs loosely around these thoughts – Each different painting move or character is part of its own language. I take advantage of texture, transparency, color, form, and line to distinguish these moves. Each of these characters are being combined together to create a mood, a feeling, a memory. But these combinations are so full of diversity that it may be impossible to distill a singular motif, but they are not so chaotic that one will not find the ability to look into each painting.

Senior Thesis 1-4

Senior Thesis 5-8

Size Reference

(Soon I will have images of each individual painting so you can better explore each one.)

- Chris

Hullo

Hi,

I’m Chris Owen. A painter/drawer/beast, living in Baltimore and working at Whole Foods in Mt. Washington. I may look like just a normal grocery boy, but no – I’m not. So I’ll be turning this blog thing into a page where you can view my makings and things I might actually have the courage to call Art, someday. So please stop by again soon. And I’ll try to keep you good people posted on whats goin’ on.

Its AHWN!

-Chris

oh yeah, PS… my friend Cory Cone and I are having a two man double whammy show – so if you’re in Baltimore, or will be in a couple of months – come and see it. It’s nice.

oh yeah and I might as well post a picture of myself being fun around some paintings that i made over this past summer – my friend Ramsey Beyerseesreyeyes snapped it.