Jeff Owen

Sculpture

My sculptures combine the past and the present.

I have a deep affinity toward the materials I work with, a wonderful sense of emotion, feelings, and dreams for what the material was once used for and now what it will become in my hands. These feelings direct me on my path.

My processes emerge with patterns. Taking one piece of steel; adding to it, deleting from it, constantly discovering the metal’s unique appeal. When a sculpture encompasses all of my creative energy, it is finished.

My technique is brute force, decide-at-the-moment. The interesting shapes of metal; the patterns, textures, and grains; all entice me. I am fascinated with form.

My aspiration is to create sculpture that is completely unique; that no one has done before. I resist conformity and mass production.

My art is as individual as I am.

RESUME

ABOUT

I began direct metal sculpting in 2001 when, during a move, I discovered an unused welding set in the back of my father-in-law’s garage. I asked if I could use it, he agreed. I have been in love with sculpting metal since that day. Steel sculpting allows me to easily express my emotions, dreams, and visions.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My art is about life. My sculptures are a combination of the past and present. I have a deep affinity toward the materials I work with, a sense of emotion for what the material was originally used for and now what it will become in my hands. These thoughts direct me on my path as I work. My sculptures emerge with patterns. I take one piece of steel, add to it, delete from it, add to it. I am constantly discovering. When a sculpture contains all of my creative energies, I am done. My technique is brute force, decide-at-the-moment. The interesting shapes and textures of metal; the patterns and grains; all entice me. I am fascinated with form. My aspiration is to make sculpture that is completely unique, to resist conformity and mass production. My art is as individual as I am.

TECHNIQUE and PROCESS

I use metal that I find throughout the western US from metal scrap yards. I also find interesting pieces of metal along the highways and byways. Each piece of metal I collect may spend years in my studio, on a shelf or in a pile, until I “rediscover” it while searching for just the right piece for the next sculpture. I am a “direct metal” welder. I use a wire-feed welder and plasma cutter to cut and weld the pieces of metal together into the forms I desire. I work continuously on each piece until I decide it is finished. It may take me only hours or many days to finish a sculpture. Once a piece is finished, I often immediately name it, usually the first name that comes to my mind when I look at the finished piece. Often I will coat a sculpture with a clear powder-coat, or paint it to preserve its appearance, as often I will simply leave the piece to patina on its own in the weather – bringing out its natural beauty.

EXHIBITIONS

2016 - June -July - Ruth Bancroft Sculpture in the Gardens, Reeds and Nirvana sculptures, Ruth Bancroft Foundation, Danville, CA

2016 – May – Triton Gala Exhibition, Triton sculpture commission by Museum curator for the gala, Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA

2016 - April - ISC Pacific Rim Sculptors Exhibition, Avoidance of Chastity sculpture, Art Object Gallery, Japantown, San Jose, CA

2015 - May - Filoli Mother's Day Flow and Sculpture Show, Woodside, CA

2015 - February - Open Studio, Home Gallery at 2965 Rustic Drive in San Jose, CA

2015 - February - Salon at the Triton: A 2D Art Competition and Exhibition - Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA (Squeezer, a digital watercolor, Honorable Mention

2014 - June - July - Filoli Summer Sculpture Show, Filoli Foundation, Filoli Estate, Woodside, CA

2013 - June - Dec - Santa Clara Biennial Indoor Sculpture Exhibition, Gia sculpture, Santa Clara, CA

2013 - February - March - Pacific Rim Sculptors Exhibition: Beyond Gaga, Diva sculpture, Works San Jose, San Jose, CA

2012 - September - Triton Museum of Art: "The Poetics of Disposability", Invited Artist, assemblages, Collector of Noise and Silence, Pail Retriever, Stop Motion, Santa Clara, CA

2012 - June - July - Ruth Bancroft Sculpture in the Gardens, Together VI sculpture, Ruth Bancroft Foundation, Danville, CA

2012 - May - Filoli Flower Show - “The Secret Garden, Discover the Magic”, Filoli Foundation, Filoli Estate, Woodside, CA

2011 - 2012 - The Fine Art of Recycling, Santa Clara Arts Commission, Santa Clara, CA

2011 - April - Sept - Santa Clara Biennial Indoor Sculpture Exhibition, Past Post, The Key Master, Amazing Wonder Flying Jitney sculptures, Santa Clara, CA

2011 -April - San Francisco Symphony, Davies After Hours, single artist, post performance of Charles Dutoit and Gautier Capuçon, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA

2011 - May - Filoli Flower Show: Super Hero’s, Filoli Foundation, Filoli Estate, Woodside, CA

2009 - April - Sept - Santa Clara Biennial Indoor Sculpture Exhibition, Obelisk, Backbone sculptures, Santa Clara, CA

2008 - City Windows Gallery, Top Hat with Marc Demian, fused glass-metal sculpture, City Hall, San Jose, CA

2008 - May - Carmel Art Association, Statewide Sculpture in the Park, Mask sculpture, Carmel, CA

2007 - April - Sept - Santa Clara Biennial Indoor Sculpture Exhibition, Smoke, Twister, Dreamcatcher sculptures, Arts Commission, Santa Clara, CA

PUBLIC ART

Aria, Desire, Stormcatcher, abstract sculptures. Downtown Willow Glen, District 6 Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio and Willow Glen Business Association, Town of Willow Glen, San Jose, CA. A fresh dose of public sculpture.

Your Cube, Sir, abstract sculpture. Napa Art Walk, Arts Council Napa Valley and City of Napa, CA

Balance I, abstract sculpture. Cloverdale Sculpture Trail, Cloverdale Arts Alliance, Cloverdale, CA

Danseuse, Arches, and Tiempo, abstract sculptures, Public Arts Commission, City of Los Altos, CA

Spire I, 15 ft commission. The Shops at Los Lagos, Corona, CA

Man, abstract sculpture, Geyserville Sculpture Trail, Geyserville Chamber of Commerce, Geyserville, CA

CORPORATE COMMISSIONS

"Global", "Fluency" wall sculptures, "Grid" and "Colours" paintings. Global Fluency, San Jose, CA

"Ironworks", Atlantic Arts Commission.

"Paths", "Puzzles" sculptures. Parrish Hansen, Inc., Clovis, CA

"Green Bay Super bowl sculpture". Gerdau Ameristeel, Miami, FL

Mouth Man logo, Mouth Man, CA

"Madam Lisa" representational sculpture. Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Meyers, LLP., Los Angeles, CA

"Gambler" wall sculpture. Marmot Home Design, Lake Tahoe, CA

"Garden Angel" abstract sculpture. Mercy Medical Foundation, Sioux City, IO

"Kaizen", "Blue Paper Clip" wall sculptures. Suhr Risk Services, San Jose, CA

Semantic XML model, Top Quadrant, Mountain View, CA

"New York City Scene (shown in home setting)", "Empire State Building" wall sculptures. Rosie's New York Pizza, San Jose, CA

"Santa Cruz" glass-metal sculpture with Demian Glass. Glasshouse building, Dallas, TX

Wavecrest award trophies, Clearwater Film and Music Festival, Clearwater Beach, FL

SELECT AWARDS

Blue Ribbon for Emerging Artist, Mask. Carmel Art Association, Statewide Sculpture in the Park, Carmel, CA. (Jurors: sculptor Albert Paley, LA Art critic, Peter Frank)

3rd Place Ribbon, O. Indian Wells Art Festival, Indio, CA

Honorable Mention, Roadside Attractions. Palm Springs 39th Annual Exhibition, Palm Springs, CA (Juror: Susan Parke, Museum of Southwest Art)

Newsworthy: Jeff Owen at the VIP Suite for the Golden Globes

Guest Artist. Blackhawk Gallery

Bid Invitation. U.S. State Department, G20 International Summit Conference, Pittsburgh, PA

Visiting Artist. Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA

First Place Ribbon, Vein. Los Gatos Open Member Juried Show, Los Gatos, CA

Selected by DIY Desperate Landscape, Ballet, Las Vegas, NV

Selected for Sunset Magazine layout. Celebration and Eclipse, Hindesign, San Jose, CA

Honorable Mention, Shout, Los Gatos Open Juried show, Los Gatos, CA (Juror: Marian Parmenter, SFMOMA)

Rated #2, Top Ten Steel Sculpture Websites, Capital Steel and Wire, Dewitt, MI

PUBLICATIONS

Air Tran Magazine – Go, “Small Wonders”, by Tony Ware, December 2011

Los Altos Patch, “Danseuse installed in downtown Los Altos”, Los Altos, September 14, 2011

Los Gatos Weekly Times newspaper, “Emerging Artist”, Los Gatos, CA

San Jose Mercury News – Eye section, Joy sculpture article, San Jose, CA.

San Jose Mercury News -- San Jose Neighborhood section, A Fresh Dose of Public Sculpture

MEMBERSHIPS

Kinetic Sculpture Organization

Los Gatos Art Association, Los Gatos, CA

Sculpture.org

Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA

REPRESENTATION

JCO’s Place, Los Gatos, CA