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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.  

Although Owen's forms undoubtedly resemble horses, they can also be seen as pure assemblages of faintly recognizable objects- namely car, tractor, and motorcycle parts. Owen’s choice of medium imbues his sculptures with a touch of humor, of irony: his horses are constructed out of the very material that ultimately replaced them. At the same time, these vintage vehicle parts are themselves obsolete, and carry with them a certain nostalgic air. In their incorporation of found objects (Owen retrieves his metal from abandoned lots, ditches, old farms), the sculptures recall the work of artists like Ed Kienholz and Noah Purifoy, whose sculptures likewise use manufactured detritus to create new, powerful structures.  

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. A culmination of 40 years of artistic exploration, Doug Owen’s sculpture has garnered an international following in recent years.

Born 1950 South Dakota

Education

• University of South Dakota, Dakota State College, Art Major.

Selected Exhibitions

• 2010 Art Singapore, Asia.
  Fine Art Asia, Hong Kong International Art & Antiques Fair, Hong Kong.
  Art Aspen, Aspen, CO
  Art Hamptons, Bridge Hampton, NY.
• 2009 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
  Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
• 2008 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
  Trajan Gallery, Carmel, CA.
• 2007 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
• 2004 Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, MO.
• 1999 Apex Gallery, School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD.
• 1984 Northlander Gallery 306, Sioux Falls, SD.
  Anakota Fine Arts Gallery, Rapid City, SD.

Selected Art Fairs

• 2010 Art Hamptons, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, NY.
  San Francisco Fine Art Fair, CA.
  Los Angeles Art Show, CA, Caldwell Snyder Gallery.
• 2009 Art Miami, FL, Caldwell Snyder Gallery.
  Los Angeles Art Show, CA.
• 2008 Red Dot Art Fair, Miami, FL, Caldwell Snyder Gallery.
• 2006 SOFA Show, Chicago, IL.
• 2005 SOFA Show, Chicago, IL.
• 2004 Cherry Creek Arts Walk & Show, Denver, CO.
• 2003 Cherry Creek Arts Walk & Show, Denver, CO.

Benefits & 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.
• Private Estates in Saudi Arabia, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Tokyo.

Publications & Press

• Susan Felt, Abundant Outdoor Views Offer Feel of a Tree House, The Arizona Republic, Nov. 4 2005. Marcia Vanderlip, Saddle Up to Sculpture, Colombia Tribune, Aug.14 2003.
• Itinerary State of the Art, Colorado Homes & Lifestyle, December.