Alexander Owen
Alexander Owen lives and works in London. Owen explores the relationship between new digital media and painting in his work. Owen’s works look at how objects can interact and behave outside of what would be possible in the real world through 3D rendering software. The final aesthetic of Owen’s paintings doesn’t shy away from their digital origins, mimicking the smooth textures and high contrast of the rendered world.
Collect Bean: What’s the kindest thing someone can tell you about your work?
Alexander Owen: I don’t know if it is necessarily kind, but if someone tells me my work looks better in person, that is a huge compliment. We are all so used to seeing things digitally online or through our phones that we sometimes forget these paintings are physical objects in someone's studio or gallery. For a painting to be able to stand on its own in person and look just as good, if not better than, its online images is what I’m always going for.
Collect Bean: Where are you currently finding inspiration?
Alexander Owen: I get inspiration from all sorts of places, but recently, I have been heavily influenced by nightlife and the spaces this can occupy. The aesthetic of this scene lends itself well to my work, with colored lights, shiny surfaces, and that frequently found industrial space. I’m trying to convey that energy in my paintings and look at it closer.
On a larger scale, I think all of my work explores queer culture in some form; even when it is not glaringly obvious, it is hinted at or peeking through - it's a subconscious theme through all of my work.
Collect Bean: How do you balance your practice with your daily life?
Alexander Owen: I work on my practice every day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I am in the studio painting every single day. My practice encompasses all aspects of making the work, so if I’m not physically painting, I might be working on ideas for new series, doing the digital foundation work, or visiting other artists' shows. It all feeds into the larger picture and helps propel my own work forward.
Collect Bean: How does your painting process look from start to finish?
Alexander Owen: Each painting starts as a 3D image I make in my rendering software. I treat this as if it were a sketchbook, manipulating the models, environment, and lighting countless times until I find the composition and image I want to move forward into a painting. From there, I make a drawing at the size I will make the final painting and transfer this over to the canvas. Once that’s done, it is on to the painting process, which consists of a lot of tape and layering up the paint through airbrushing to achieve that smooth digital look. I’ll finesse the painting towards the end to give the cleanest and shiniest finishes their sparkle.
Collect Bean: If you had to describe your work in only three words, what would they be?
Glossy, industrial, and sharp.
