"The Reason for Flowers" Painting

Barbara Owen is an artist based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and Brooklyn, New York.

As an artist who creates abstract objects, my work is an exploration of color and shape. I aim to evoke strong emotions and provoke thought by transcending the boundaries of traditional representation and painting surface. The themes of femininity and beauty are particularly poignant in my work. By combining vibrant hues and fluid shapes, I strive to capture the essence of femininity and celebrate its diverse forms. The interplay of colors and the intricacy of forms in my work magnify the beautiful, embracing the power and complexity within its abstract manifestations.

Barbara has been a visiting artist & critic at Rhode Island College, BFA Painting Department (2022), School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, BFA (2022), The Teaching Gallery at HVCC (2017), RISD, INTAR Summer Program (2016, 2017) and in 2018 was awarded the Evelyn Danzig Haas ’39 Visiting Artists Program at Wheaton College.

She has been awarded residencies nationwide, including Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, CA (2000), Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, NY (2002), and MASS MoCA/Assets for Artists, MA (2015). She is a featured artist in the NetWorks 2015 Artist Video Portraits series.