February 9 - 28, 2023
From Vaughn Art Agency + Gallery:
“Great art comes from big emotion and personal transformation, which have certainly been present for Nashville-based fine artist Brandon Owen over the last year. This past December, Owen welcomed his first child into the world —an event that for many stirs memories of childhood into the present reality—and this new chapter’s effects are evident in this new body of work, which defines a new space in the art world.
Having grown up in California around working cowboys, Owen didn’t begin making art for others until his teenage years riding a skateboard. The graphic nature and punk DIY ethos of the skateboarding community inspired and nurtured his artistic development until he eventually landed in Nashville designing visuals for major label records. The graphic aesthetic is still with him, but upon making room in his career for fine art—exploring what he wanted to make without the constraints of a corporate client—the influences of his early years started to return. Cowboys and horses began finding their way onto canvases in a Banksy-esque stencil and intuitive scribble approach, creating a tension that perfectly reflects the tastes of today’s urban cowboy, who are much more familiar with Banksy, Warhol and Hirst than Remington, Russell or Leigh.
Owen found success selling originals on Instagram fairly quickly, and while those successes fueled his artistic fire, adding “father” to his resume focused him more than ever.
“Prepping for the birth of our daughter changed my thinking about why I do things. Once I held her, things felt totally different. Now I want to be more delicate and more precise with what I am trying to accomplish. I’m more concerned with making meaningful and interesting pieces,” Owen says.
The title, “Of All the Things I’ve Ever Known” not-so-subtly hints at the significance of this latest life event, but it also refers to the breadth of medium and subject in this body of work. With works ranging from quilts to CNC cut wall reliefs, this collection of artworks reflects the material influences of the South and the Old West, and provides a welcome depth to the show. Further, Owen is pushing his natural tendency to juxtapose contrary perceptions even further, creating a tenuous balance between subject and medium, craft and naivité.
“I’m excited to lean into playing with meanings and norms of pieces. Pulling from my whole lifetime of experiences, living in the south and the west, I’m taking one medium that may be reminiscent or appear as one thing but using it in [an unexpected] way that makes total sense to me,” he says.
“Of All The Things I Have Ever Known references my life; where I am now is better than all of the things I have ever known. And using techniques, inspirations and mediums that I have learned throughout my life, I am making art from all of the things I have ever known.”
Owen’s work will be on display from February 9 through the end of the month at Vaughn Art Agency + Gallery in Austin, TX, and online at www.western.gallery.”
Reception: February 9, 2023 | 7–9 pm
2307 Thornton Road #112
Austin, 78704 Texas
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