STUDIO COMFORT TEXAS
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Art in the time of COVID-19
    • Visit Comfort
    • Blog
    • Cancellation & Refund Policies
  • Exhibits+Events
    • Danville Chadbourne: New Works
    • Wind & Dust
    • Unbound Botanicals
    • Daydreams in Bright Hours
    • Sueños (Dreams)
    • Love Her Wild
    • Deeply Rooted
    • Curious Cuttings & Rebellious Rhizomes
    • April Dressed In All Its Trim
    • Walter Salas-Humara
    • Pauly Tamez
  • ARTISTS
    • New Artist Inquiries
    • Submissions-Current SCTX Artists
  • SHOP
    • ART >
      • SHOP: DANVILLE CHADBOURNE: NEW WORKS
      • SHOP: WIND & DUST
      • SHOP: UNBOUND BOTANICALS
      • SHOP: DAYDREAMS IN BRIGHT HOURS
      • SHOP: SUEÑOS (DREAMS)
      • SHOP: LOVE HER WILD
      • SHOP: DEEPLY ROOTED
      • SHOP: WALTER SALAS-HUMARA
    • ART SUPPLIES
    • BLACKWING
    • BOOKS
    • GIFT CERTIFICATES
    • REX FOSTER JEWELRY
    • MERCHANDISE
    • LAYAWAY
    • SHIPPING & POLICIES
  • CLASSES
    • Class Calendar
    • Meet Our Instructors
DAYDREAMS IN BRIGHT HOURS header

UNBOUND BOTANICALS

AN EXHIBITION OF MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS BY PAULA OWEN
Unbound Botanicals germinated during the pandemic shutdown. In the absence of regular social interaction, time and solitude were fertile ground for each piece to begin with an intentional, personal challenge to respond––to a surface, shape, tool, observation, or memory that sat at the back of my mind. Committed to allowing each piece to evolve incrementally over time, often starting over completely, they became discoveries.
​
The “unboundness” of these works does not refer to anything radical, but to the imagined––quite the opposite of how traditional botanical drawings and paintings are created. Uninterested in representation, I convey some otherwise unexpressed quality of these familiar references in the natural world.

Unbound Botanicals celebrates both the artwork of Paula Owen and the significant contributions she has made to art education during her tenure at Southwest School of Art.

IMPORTANT DATES
Gallery Exhibition Dates  |  May 4 -  June 26, 2022
Opening Reception  |  Saturday, May 7, 12-4pm

Related Workshop | Saturday, June 25, 9:30am-12:30pm
​
Closing Reception |  Saturday, June 24, 2-4pm


View Artist Profile for Paula Owen
Paula Owen, soon to retire from her position as President of Southwest School of Art, began her tenure in1996 following 11 years as the Director of the Visual Arts Center in Richmond, VA and various other roles in art education. Owen recently facilitated a merger of Southwest School of Art and University of Texas at San Antonio, a collaboration which will facilitate a new and expanded school of art.  

Owen has served as curator of numerous exhibitions and on national and regional boards and panels, including the Pew Artist Fellowships, the Bush Foundation Fellowships, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a published arts writer and co-authored the book, Objects and Meaning: New Perspectives on Art and Craft, published by Scarecrow Press.  Most recently, her essay “Fabrication and Encounter: When Content is a Verb,” was published in Maria Elena Buzcek’s book, Extra/Ordinary: Craft and Contemporary Art. 

She is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from her alma mater, Luther College in Iowa, and was recognized by the city of San Antonio with a Distinction in the Arts Award. Owen holds the MS degree in art education from Minnesota State University and the MFA in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work is held in numerous private and public collections. She lives in San Antonio with her husband, Ben Owen. They have three children and six grandchildren.  

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

Welcome to our online gallery for UNBOUND BOTANICALS by Paula Owen. ​Please select an image below to enjoy scrolling through the gallery slideshow. To learn more about Paula, see additional views, and to purchase artwork, click the button below.
Shop Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Unbound Botanical #1.JPG
Unbound Botanical #1 | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Unbound Botanical #2.JPG
Unbound Botanical #2 | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Forest at Dusk.JPG
Forest at Dusk | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Garden.JPG
Garden | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Marsh.JPG
Marsh | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Brassica Oleracea.JPG
Brassica Oleracea | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Field.JPG
Field | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Verdure.JPG
Verdure | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Plot.JPG
Plot | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Herbs.JPG
Herbs | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Poppies.JPG
Poppies | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Thicket.JPG
Thicket | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Moonlit.JPG
Moonlit | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Loquat.JPG
Loquat | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Moonlit Meadow.JPG
Moonlit Meadow | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Sunlit Meadow.JPG
Sunlit Meadow | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Undergrowth.JPG
Undergrowth | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Fireflies.JPG
Fireflies | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Undergrowth #1.jpg
Undergrowth #1 | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Undergrowth #2.jpg
Undergrowth #2 | Paula Owen
Paula Owen_Artist Photo.JPG
PAULA OWEN | artist

​ABOUT THE ARTIST

ARTIST STATEMENT
One could say that I have spent a lifetime preparing for this exhibition.  The same will be true about my next exhibition, as creative expression is an iterative process.  Moreover, most of my paintings and drawings reference the natural landscape, which has been a powerful force throughout my life, from my days growing up along the Upper Iowa River among fields, pastures, woods, and limestone bluffs.
I am not interested in representation, however, and try instead to convey something unexpected or intriguing using these familiar references.  In much the same way a scientist, driven by curiosity, might return over and over again to a hypothesis, I never tire of exploring and manipulating the images, textures, moods, etc. inspired by the natural world. 
The collection of works in Unbound Botanicals began during the pandemic shutdown. Each piece begins as an intentional and personal challenge to respond to a surface, shape, tool, observation, or memory that already sits in the back of my mind. With commitment to allowing each piece to evolve incrementally over time, often starting over completely, they become discoveries.
The “unboundness” of these works does not refer to anything radical, but to the imagined, quite the opposite of how traditional botanical drawings and paintings are created.  

I am deeply grateful to Studio Comfort Texas for this opportunity to share these explorations.

— Paula Owen
 
ARTIST BIO 
​
Paula Owen, soon to retire from her position as President of Southwest School of Art, began her tenure in1996 following 11 years as the Director of the Visual Arts Center in Richmond, Virginia and various other roles in art education. A merger of Southwest School of Art and University of Texas at San Antonio, a collaboration which will facilitate a new and expanded school of art, has been recently announced.  
Owen has served as curator of numerous exhibitions and on national and regional boards and panels, including the Pew Artist Fellowships, the Bush Foundation Fellowships, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a published arts writer and co-authored the book, Objects and Meaning: New Perspectives on Art and Craft, published by Scarecrow Press.  Most recently, her essay “Fabrication and Encounter: When Content is a Verb,” was published in Maria Elena Buzcek’s book, Extra/Ordinary: Craft and Contemporary Art. 
She is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from her alma mater, Luther College in Iowa, and was recognized by the city of San Antonio with a Distinction in the Arts Award.  Owen holds the MS degree in art education from Minnesota State University and the MFA in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work is held in numerous private and public collections.
Married to Ben Owen, she has three children and six grandchildren. 

Unbound Botanicals PRESS RELEASE.pdf
File Size: 71 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Unbound Botanicals POSTER.pdf
File Size: 1522 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Unbound Botanicals POSTCARD (front).pdf
File Size: 1249 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Unbound Botanicals POSTCARD (back).pdf
File Size: 431 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Poster_Walter Salas-Humara.jpg

STUDIO COMFORT TEXAS  an artist studio gallery


ADDRESS

Studio Comfort Texas
716 High Street
Comfort, TX  78013

Mailing address:
PO Box 887
Comfort, TX  78013
GALLERY HOURS

Winter Hours (Jan-Feb):
THU: 11a - 4p
FRI-SAT: 11a - 5p
SUN-WED: by appointment

​Regular Hours (Resuming in March):
WED-THU: 11a - 4p
FRI-SAT: 11a - 5p
​​SUN-TUE: by appointment

Other days and times by appointment, please email or call Cara
CONTACT

e  info@studiocomforttexas.com 
p  830-995-3750   
c  720-299-0302 
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Art in the time of COVID-19
    • Visit Comfort
    • Blog
    • Cancellation & Refund Policies
  • Exhibits+Events
    • Danville Chadbourne: New Works
    • Wind & Dust
    • Unbound Botanicals
    • Daydreams in Bright Hours
    • Sueños (Dreams)
    • Love Her Wild
    • Deeply Rooted
    • Curious Cuttings & Rebellious Rhizomes
    • April Dressed In All Its Trim
    • Walter Salas-Humara
    • Pauly Tamez
  • ARTISTS
    • New Artist Inquiries
    • Submissions-Current SCTX Artists
  • SHOP
    • ART >
      • SHOP: DANVILLE CHADBOURNE: NEW WORKS
      • SHOP: WIND & DUST
      • SHOP: UNBOUND BOTANICALS
      • SHOP: DAYDREAMS IN BRIGHT HOURS
      • SHOP: SUEÑOS (DREAMS)
      • SHOP: LOVE HER WILD
      • SHOP: DEEPLY ROOTED
      • SHOP: WALTER SALAS-HUMARA
    • ART SUPPLIES
    • BLACKWING
    • BOOKS
    • GIFT CERTIFICATES
    • REX FOSTER JEWELRY
    • MERCHANDISE
    • LAYAWAY
    • SHIPPING & POLICIES
  • CLASSES
    • Class Calendar
    • Meet Our Instructors