'Unite' 03.20 Drawing

Adrian Owen is a self-taught artist who specialises in fine art, portraiture and illustration, saying he has "always preferred the tactility of traditional mediums and a hands-on approach to fine arts." While working in traditional mediums such as watercolour, acrylic and oil, his preferred medium is charcoal which suits his highly considered and emotive work and highlights his meticulous attention to detail. "I enjoy the malleable textures of charcoal’s palette and find it can be almost fluid.” It was in London during the 1990's as a young man that he began to develop his distinctive style of portraiture, sketching portraits on Leicester and Trafalgar Squares and during this time that he made an annual appearance on The Royal Mile at The Edinburgh International Arts Festival. On returning to South Africa he participated annually at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. A trip to Chiang Mai in 2007 introduced him to the dry brush technique which he adopted to expand his mastery in the disciplined art of charcoal drawing. Adrian freelances commercially as an illustrator in the publishing, advertising, film and television industries as well as being commissioned by architects for perspective renders and developers for conceptual designs. Private portrait commissions and works focusing on his unique interpretations of the human form have remained a staple during his career and can be found in homes and private collections throughout the world. His work has been exhibited in notable galleries throughout South Africa. He has been a participating artist in the Spier Arts Trust and Nando's Creative Block since 2017. Adrian currently lives and works in Kommetjie near Cape Town.