ARTIST FEATURE - STEVEN JOHN OWEN
ARTIST | FEATURE
STEVEN JOHN OWEN
This months artist feature is Steven John Owen, an abstract painter whose work explores colour, geometry and texture. Working from his Bristol studio, his self taught practice draws on inspiration from his background in garden design with an approach both deeply intuitive and meticulously crafted.
Steven treats his canvases as a cultivated spaces, balancing structured compositions with organic flow. His geometry is never rigid; instead, it maintains an effortless rhythmic quality that feels purposefully laid out, yet pleasingly off-kilter.
At the heart of Steven’s work is a playful, cadenced exploration of raw materials and surface qualities. Working with acrylics alongside his own custom-made oil pastels, he builds his compositions in deliberate layers. This allows him to curate a distinct, personalised palette of subdued, earth-drawn pigments. Warm, glowing oranges bounce off grounding browns, muted greens, and soft greys, while quiet blues lift the canvas with a open, airy presence.
Steven pays close attention to the individual marks made by each of his mediums, exploring how different textures sit alongside one another. He creates moments of tension and serenity; juxtaposing smooth surfaces against rough impasto, and pairing areas of intense activity with quiet stillness. These textural shifts evoke the natural elements that inspire him, mimicking the structured yet wild layout of a patch of hillside or a carefully tended garden.
There is an intriguing, almost obsessive quality to his repeating motifs and undulating patterns. Stevens rhythmic shapes unfold across the canvas, and coupled with enigmatic titles that prompt deeper reflection, the viewer is given a glimpse inside the artists mind, and invited to dive into his world. Each piece creates a hypnotic space to get lost in, drawing the viewer in to fall into a rhythmic quiet.
Find out more about Steven and his work on his portfolio, and catch his pieces in real life at North Street Gallery in Bristol.
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