UNBOUND BOTANICALS
AN EXHIBITION OF MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS BY PAULA OWEN
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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.
PAULA OWEN | artist
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ABOUT THE ARTISTARTIST 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. |
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