Owen Arts

I am a Devon-based painter, illustrator and tutor whose work is rooted in a fascination with light, colour, and the way a single glance can capture the essence of a place. My landscape paintings are inspired by the extraordinary variety of the Devon countryside — the patchwork of fields and hedgerows, the drama of the North and South coasts, the quiet grandeur of Victorian industrial architecture, and the vast open skies that tie it all together. Working with a deliberately limited palette, I aim to preserve that vital “first impression” — the raw emotional response to a scene before analysis takes over.

I’m drawn to the tension between colour and form, and my influences range from the expressive intensity of Van Gogh and Kandinsky to the imaginative line of Arthur Rackham and the graphic clarity of Abram Games. I work in oils, watercolour, acrylics and gouache, bringing over 20 years of professional experience as a storyboard artist and commercial illustrator to every piece. That background has sharpened my instinct for composition, pace, and visual storytelling — qualities that inform my fine art work as much as my commercial commissions.

As a tutor, my teaching philosophy is simple: creativity belongs to everyone. The workshops and one-to-one lessons I run from my studio at The Antique Village are designed not to impose technique, but to help each student discover their own way of seeing and interpreting the world around them. Whether working from landscapes, photographs, or imagination, I believe the role of the teacher is to get out of the way of the student’s own voice.

Original paintings are available to purchase and commission, with prints available through my Etsy shop. I welcome enquiries from collectors, galleries, and anyone who would simply like to talk about art.s