The Work of Alison Owen

I came across the work of Alison Owen in a recent edition of New American Paintings. As an aside, I think it should be clear now that I am a big fan of this publication, although at times I wonder if they have more than a couple of employees who put it together. The publication is wonderfully done, and I believe it does a good job of highlighting what is happening across the country. However, their Web site is atrocious and often out of date.

Wow... I easily get off track, don't I? Back to Owen. Owen, currently showing at Bank in Los Angeles and the Creative Artists Agency in Beverly Hills, is pursuing her MFA at Claremont Graduate University (Class of 2005). I was first intrigued by the style of work shown above. To give an idea of how it is made, Owen first applies a silky smooth coat of gesso on wood panel. Next, she adds hand-dyed paper with fine thread to form boxes. The wood panel is mounted to a wood frame of the same size to push the surface off the wall a few inches. In effect, the presentation of the work mimics the content of the work (i.e. a wall-mountable box with a surface of boxes).

Just got distracted again... does anyone else get the feeling that these "boxes" are really drinking glasses with colored water sloshing to and fro? For some reason, I just got the feeling that I was really looking at rows of half-filled glasses. Weird, huh? Anywho, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

The resulting effect for me is conflicting. Understanding the process of the construction of these pieces, I immediately feel its fragility. The material alone is extremely delicate and the surface always seems at risk of damage. At the same time though, this work feels powerful. To start, Owen has pushed the surface away from the wall, forcing me to be engaged. Then, the repetitive stacks of boxes seems very much in balance and secure. Given that it is an inaminate object I know that the boxes (glasses?) will never topple over (and spill?), and this provides security. To enhance this effect, Owen has generally aligned the dyed paper in horizontal rows, furthering the stability of the piece.

On a personal level, Owen pieces as described above always engage me. I wonder, why? I'm not saying that this work makes me question life, or religion, or politics. I wonder why she has chosen this form. Perhaps others have seen works of art similar to this, but I have not and thus I question how she came to this composition. I would have never thought of it... that's for sure. I have to give her credit for that.

Above is a newer Owen piece. Unlike the box-y constructions at the top of the post, I have never seen these mini-sculptures in person. This piece in particular, entitled Sprawl, measures 6 x 7 x 3" and is made of wallpaper, sequins and nails. At the risk of offending my female readers with my immediate generalization, this piece feels very feminine. I imagine that she is referring to urban sprawl, and perhaps the wallpaper symbolizes skyscrapers and the stacks of sequins represent houses or other buildings. I have not spoken to Owen recently about these pieces, so I'll leave my discussion of her concept at that. However, I have to question this work visually. Undoubtedly, on a large gallery wall, this piece would be quite tiny. I assume, I should be drawn in for closer inspection. Based on this digital image, I don't know what is there to keep me engaged. Obviously, like her box constructions, this piece conveys fragility. I often think though, that the best small works, should also convey power. I'm not sure if I would feel that if I saw this work in person.

I'm hoping that some of my readers have seen her work in person and can provide a more experienced analysis of her work, specifically the small sculptural pieces. I feel that I can speak more confidently about the box pieces as I own one (there's my disclaimer!). Although I'm not sure that Owen and I are on the same wavelength in terms of what she is going for in her art, I have a feeling that she is someone to watch. Her recent good fortune in terms of shows, and the feminine minimalist nature of her work, intrigues me a great deal. I, for one, will be keeping close tabs on her progress.