Situated in the fascinating space between representation and abstraction, Doug Owen's graceful sculptures offer up a wealth of associations. The horse, his perennial subject, has of course been a favorite of artists for centuries; aside from humans themselves, perhaps no other creature has been portrayed in art so frequently. Depictions of horses did not vanish with the advent of modernism: they figure prominently in the works of Picasso, who was captivated by the prehistoric horse drawings on the walls of the Lascaux caves.

In his single-minded devotion to the equine form, Owen joins the ranks of such renowned artists as Frederic Remington and Susan Rothenberg, for whom horses retain a primal, almost mythical power. Like them, he also makes his home in the Western U.S., where horses further connote the complex history of the American frontier.

 

Although Owen's forms undoubtedly resemble horses, they can also be seen as pure assemblages of faintly recognizable objectsnamely car, tractor, and motorcycle parts. Owen's choice of medium imbues his sculptures with a touch of humor, of irony: his horses are constructed out of the very material that ultimately replaced them. At the same time, these vintage vehicle parts are themselves obsolete, and carry with them a certain nostalgic air. In their incorporation of found objects (Owen retrieves his metal from abandoned lots, ditches, old farms), the sculptures recall the work of artists like Ed Kienholz and Noah Purifoy, whose sculptures likewise use manufactured detritus to create new, powerful structures.

 

Owen's sculptures are striking for their sinewy, Picassoesque lines (the artist originally studied gesture drawing), but their colors are equally arresting. Bottle greens, goldenrod yellows, coppery browns, tans, ochres, and blues: these are colors most often associated with landscape painting. Indeed, like the earthy sculpture of Tony Cragg, Owen's horses seem perfectly at home in their settings. Grazing, lounging, or surveying their realm, it's as if they've assembled themselves almost magically out of the surrounding environment.

A culmination of 40 years of artistic exploration, Doug Owen's sculpture has garnered an international following in recent years. Now currently residing in western Colorado, Doug is excited to be working with his 2 sons Matthew and Ben on collaboration pieces and to see there inherited artistic talent blossom into careers.

 

 

2015

Madison Gallery, La Jolla, CA

 

2014

Broschofsky Gallery, Ketchum, ID

 

2013

Campton Gallery, Soho, New York, NY

 

2012

CaldwellSnyder Gallery, St. Helena and San Francisco, CA

Campton Gallery, Soho, New York, NY

Los Angeles Art Show, Los Angeles, CA

 

2011

CaldwellSnyder Gallery, St. Helena and San Francisco, CA

Campton Gallery, Soho, New York, NY

Los Angeles Art Show, Los Angeles, CA

 

2010

CaldwellSnyder Gallery, St. Helena and San Francisco, CA

Campton Gallery, Soho, New York, NY

Los Angeles Art Show, Los Angeles, CA

Art Hampton Show, Hampton’s, NY

Miami Art Fair, Miami, FL

 

2009

CaldwellSnyder Gallery, St. Helena and San Francisco, CA

Campton Gallery, Soho New York, NY

Los Angeles Art Show, Los Angeles, CA

 

2008

CaldwellSnyder Gallery, St. Helena and San Francisco, CA

Campton Gallery, Soho, New York, NY

 

2007

CaldwellSnyder Gallery, St. Helena and San Francisco, CA

Trajan Gallery, Carmel, CA

JRB Gallery, Oklahoma, OK

Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, MO

Victoria Boyce Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ

 

2006

Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, MO

JRB Gallery, Oklahoma, OK

Sophia Georg Gallery, Denver, CO

Victoria Boyce Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ

Buffalo Gals Gallery, Basalt, CO

SOFA Art Show, Chicago, IL

 

2005

Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, MO

Highlands Gallery, Breckenridge, CO

Sophia Georg Gallery, Denver, CO

JRB Gallery, Oklahoma, OK

Golden Nugget Gallery, Wickenburg, AZ

SOFA Art Show, Chicago, IL

 

2004

Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, MO

Highlands Gallery, Breckenridge, CO

Sophia Georg Gallery, Denver, CO

JRB Gallery, Oklahoma, OK

Poppy Gallery, Columbia, MO

 

2003

Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, MO

Highlands Gallery, Breckenridge, CO

Sophia Georg Gallery, Denver, CO

Foothills Gallery, Sheridan, WY

 

2002

Sophia Georg Gallery, Denver, CO

Highlands Gallery, Brekenridge, CO

Foothills Gallery, Sheridan, WY

Casa de Artistas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ

Smatterings Gallery, Rapid City, SD

 

2001

Dakota Rose Fine Art Gallery, Rapid City, SD

Foothills Gallery, Sheridan, WY

Highlands Gallery, Brekenridge, CO

Sophia Georg Gallery, Denver, CO

Casa de Artistas, Scottsdale, AZ

Agnisush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

 

2000

Dakota Rose Fine Art Gallery, Rapid City, SD

Foothills Gallery, Sheridan, WY

Sophia Georg Gallery, Denver, CO

Casa de Artistas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ

Agnisush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

GreenLake Arts Fair, GreenLake, WI

 

1999

The Wet Edge Gallery, Deadwood, SD

Dakota Rose Fine Art Gallery, Rapid City, SD

Sophia Georg Gallery, Denver, CO

Casa de Artistas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ

Agnisush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

Art on the Waters Art Show, Oshkosh, WI

 

1997

Apex Art Gallery, School of Mines and Technology Art Show, Rapid City, SD

 

1987-1989

Anakota Art Gallery, Rapid City, SD

 

1984

Northlander Gallery 306, Sioux Falls, SD

Anakota Art Gallery, Rapid City, SD

 

 

 

Benefits and Collections

Hilton Hotel, San Francisco, CA

Landmark Banks, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri.

Benetton Group Corporate Headquarters, Villa Minelli, Italy.

Art and Benefit Auction, Pottsboro, TX

Sandy Koltun Collection, Chicago, IL

Ron Brasch Collection Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO

Private Sale, Poppy Gallery, Columbia, MO

Black Hills Playhouse Art and Benefit Auction, Rapid City, SD

Rapid City Arts Council, Art and Benefit Auction, Rapid City, SD

 

Private Collections

Danielle Steel, USA.

Landmark Banks - Missouri, Texas & Oklahoma, USA (Mark Landrum)

Private Estates in Saudi Arabia, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Tokyo.

 

Museums

Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA

 

Publications and Press

2014

Sun Valley Gallery Association

 

2013

American Art Collector Magazine, July

Art in America Magazine, June-July

 

2010

Western Art and Architecture Magazine, Summer

 

2009

Art and Antiques Magazine, Summer

 

2008

The Arizona Republic Newspaper

 

2007

ART NEWS Magazine, Summer

The Weekly Calistogan, June

Scottsdale Tribune, January

 

2006

Susan Felt, Abundant outdoor views- Arizona Republic Nov.4

The Aspen Catalog, Fall

Aspen Sojourner Magazine

Aspen Philanthropist

 

2005

Marcia Vanderlip, Saddle up to Sculpture- Columbia Tribune Aug. 14

 

2003

Itinerary State of Art, Colorado Homes and Lifestyle magazine, December

Frontier Magazine, November

Breckenridge Magazine - Summer

Breckenridge Magazine - Winter

Kansas City Review