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.
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.
With a culmination of over 40 years of artistic exploration, Owen has garnered an international following.
Today, Owen enjoys the creative process by working closely with his sons Matthew and Benjamin. Owen Art, founded in 2022, continues this long heritage of artistic expression.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS/FAIRS/PUBLICATIONS
2019
Curtis Center for the Arts, Greenwood Village, CO
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
Green Lake Arts Fair, Green Lake, 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