Metal Sculptor

Jeff Owen’s “art” life began as a child sitting in the back seat of a 1957 Chevrolet with a drawing tablet, only the best from the art store, and his favorite #2 pencil. His mother would toss him and all of her drawing supplies into the car and drive all around town looking for interesting buildings, homes, or people to draw. Always on a busy street, cars whizzing by with all the noise that accompanies them; no matter, they were there to draw whatever was out the side window of the car. He’d say his drawings were never much to look at, but he always received tons of “that’s beautiful” or “I wish I could draw like that” from his mom.

Jeff’s life as a metal sculptor began when he discovered a neglected oxy-acetylene torch set and a small welder in the back of his father-in-law’s garage. “What is that?” Jeff asked his father in law Chet. “Oh that, you wouldn’t know” Chet said. “That’s for welding metal.” Jeff persisted, “Can I have it? Are you going to use it?” Chet’s response, “What are you going to do with it? You don’t even know how to use it.” Finally after coaxing it off of him, Jeff brought the old torch set and welder back to San Jose and started creating. He has been addicted to metal welding ever since. Steel is the perfect media for Jeff Owen to express his emotions, dreams, and visions.

Artist Statement

My technique is brute force, decide-at-the-moment.

My creative process emerges with patterns. I incorporate patterns into all of my sculpture. Taking one piece of steel, adding to it, or deleting from it, then ending when the sculpture encompasses all of my creativity, this is what charges up my artistic energies. When my creative force is flowing, I work on a sculpture to completion. It is finished when the creative flow ends.

I have been an artist all my life. I am fascinated with engineering and architecture. The shapes of metal, its patterns, textures and grains; all entice me to create. My ability to cut and weld metal allows me to create any art I desire.

My aspiration is to create sculpture that is unique, something that no one has done before. I resist conformity and mass production. My art is as individual as I am.

You can visit my website here.