About Tom’s Work
Although largely self-taught, Owen draws deeply from his academic background in both literature and psychology. These disciplines lend an intellectual and emotional richness to his creative output, informing the way he thinks about meaning, narrative, and the human response to visual stimuli. His work centers around a fundamental question: how do we experience color, and what does it reveal about how we understand the spaces we occupy? Owen focuses on the visceral impact of hue, transparency, and saturation, crafting compositions that invite viewers to slow down and actively engage with subtle transitions and bold chromatic structures.Owen’s technique involves the use of vinyl flashe emulsion, a highly pigmented, water-based paint that allows him to layer translucent colors across his surfaces. By using tools such as squeegees and hard edges, he builds compositions that appear deceptively simple but contain nuanced shifts in tone and depth. These gradual changes create visual vibrations that alter depending on the viewer’s position and the lighting conditions. The result is an immersive viewing experience in which flat surfaces take on a spatial and emotional dimensionality, often blurring the line between painting and atmosphere. His use of color is never arbitrary; every tone is carefully selected to evoke a specific sensation or to challenge conventional expectations of harmony and contrast. His process is not only technical but also contemplative. The layering of color, the selection of tools, and the interaction with light all require a high level of attention and patience. This approach speaks to his belief that art is not just a product but a practice—an ongoing conversation between intention and accident, control and discovery. His work often begins with a specific visual question or challenge, but the act of painting itself becomes a search for meaning, clarity, or resonance. His practice demands emotional sensitivity, technical precision, and philosophical depth. He is committed to producing work that offers viewers more than just visual pleasure. His goal is to craft pieces that evoke contemplation, open new ways of seeing, and ultimately deepen our understanding of the world we live in and the people with whom we share it. —Angela Li-
Tom Owen’s work has been exhibited for over twenty-five years in several US cities including New York, Miami, Santa Fe, Cincinnati, Richmond, Milwaukee, Key West, and the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been featured in several publications (print and online) and is in both private and corporate collections across the United States and Europe. After a 2017 studio visit with Raphaela Platow, former Executive Director of Louisville, Kentucky’s Speed Art Museum she commented, “I love that Tom is not afraid to embrace and use color; his paintings are so hopeful.” Tom holds a BS in English literature and an MA in psychology.
Tom and his husband live in their restored Victorian home in Northern Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio along with Mavis, an old, deaf and feisty Norwich Terrier and Fanny a sweet, one-eyed Dandie Dinmont Terrier. Tom is happy to hear from anyone who wants to know more about his work.
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2026
“Modern Romance” Group Exhibition Millcroft Gallery Millford, OH
2025
“Collect Them All” Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery Santa Fe, NM
“Wild” Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery Santa Fe, NM
“Art of Water IX” Group Exhibition James May Gallery Milwaukee, WI
“Right Now It’s Yellow” Group Exhibition Drawing Rooms Gallery Jersey City, NJ
“Perspectives and Unfiolding Discoveries ” Group Exhibition Contemporary Art Chronicle San Francisco, CA and San Miguel de Allende, MEX
2024
“Small Works” Group Exhibition JAG GAllery Key West, FL
“Art of Water VIIII” Group Exhibition James May Gallery Milwaukee, WI
“All About Color” Group Exhibtion Conversations with Artists A curated blog
2023
“Good Will” Group Exhibition Page Bond Gallery Richmond, VA
“The Bright Side” Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery Santa Fe, NM
“Pollinate” Group Exhibition Page Bond Gallery Richmond, VA
“Small Works” Group Exhibition James May Gallery Milwaukee, WI
“Small Works” Group Exhibition JAG Gallery Key West, FL
“Small Works” Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery / Artist Alliance Santa Fe, NM
“Art of Water VII” Group Exhibition James May Gallery Milwaukee, WI
“Saturation” Group Exhibition 1628 LTD. Cincinnati OH
“Just Add Water” Group Exhibition Peninsula School of Art / Guenzel Gallery Fish Creek, WI
2022
“Emergent Realities and the Fabrication of Now” Group Exhibition Contemporary Art Chronicle San Francisco, CA and San Miguel de Allende, MEX
“Luminosity” Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery / Artist Alliance Santa Fe, NM (online due to COVID-19)
“New Conversations” Tom Owen & Janie Pinney: Exhibition of Recent Works Palette Home & Gallery Richmond VA
“Not Quite Seen” Group Exhibition 1628 LTD. Cincinnati OH
ArtExpo Dallas with Jen Tough Gallery Dallas TX
2021
“Jam Session” Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery / Artist Alliance Santa Fe, NM (online due to COVID-19)
“Juxtaposing Dimensions” Solo Exhibition Studio Kroner Gallery Cincinnati OH
Pride Pop-Up Solo Exhibition ADC Fine Art Cincinnati OH
"Art Comes Alive" International Group Exhibition (exhibiting since 2012) ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati OH
2020
Invitational Exhibition Group Exhibition by George Billis / George Billis Gallery Art Essex Gallery New York City, NY (online due to COVID-19)
“Natural Worlds” Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery / Artist Alliance Santa Fe, NM (online due to COVID-19)
Blink Art Resource Invitational Artist Showcase ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati OH
“Wild World” Gold Medal Exhibition California Art League Los Angeles, CA (online due to COVID 19)
“Rough Around the Edges” Group Exhibition. Jen Tough Gallery / Artist Alliance Santa Fe, NM (online due to COVID-19)
"Art Comes Alive" International Group Exhibition (exhibiting since 2012) ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati OH
“Socially Distanced” Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery / Artist Alliance Santa Fe, NM (online due to COVID-19)
“Art of Water IV” Group Exhibition James May Gallery Algoma, WI
47th Annual Winter Juried Show Duxbury Art Association Art Complex Museum Duxbury, MA
Inside/Outside: Small Works Show Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe, NM (July, cancelled due to COVID-19)
Grey/Gray Matters, Social Experiment and Exhibition, Divisible Projects and Gallery, Dayton, OH (August)
2019
“Yearning to Breathe Free”, Solo Exhibition, divisible Gallery, Dayton, OH
46th Annual Winter Juried Show Honorable Mention Award Duxbury Art Association Art Complex Museum Duxbury, MA
Artfields, Juried Exhibition of artists from the Southeast United States Lake City, SC Artist Interview
Art Santa Fe, with OPUS Art Collective managed by Jen Tough Gallery, International Group Exhibition Santa Fe, NM
Blink Art Resource Invitational Artist Showcase ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati OH
“Red,” Group Exhibition Arts Illiana Gallery, Terre Haute IN
Abstract Artist of the Year Award, "Art Comes Alive," International Juried Group Exhibition (exhibiting since 2012) ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati OH
2018
"After Dark," Group Exhibition Arts Benicia, Benicia CA
Blink Art Resource Invitational Artist Showcase ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati OH
Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Label Competition, Finalist
Art Santa Fe, with OPUS Art Collective managed by Jen Tough Gallery, International Group Exhibition Santa Fe, NM
2017
"Guilty Pleasures," Group Exhibition Jen Tough Gallery, Vallejo, CA
Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Regional Semi-finalist and Online winner
Blink Art / ADC 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Invitational Group Exhibition ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati OH
ArtExpo New York, International Group Exhibition New York City NY
"Contemporaries," Invitational Group Exhibition Greenwich House Galley, Cincinnati OH
2016
Honorable Mention Award, "Pastel 100", International Juried Competition, Pastel Journal
"Black and White," Group Exhibition Pop Revolution Gallery, Mason, OH
2015
SPECTRUM Miami, International Group Exhibition Miami FL
Abstract Artist of the Year Award, "Art Comes Alive" International Juried Exhibition ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati OH
2014
Honorable Mention Award, International Juried Exhibition World Wide Art, Los Angeles CA
2013
Finalist, 30th Annual Art Competition The Artist's Magazine
PARADE, Group Exhibition Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center, Covington KY
2008
Solo Exhibition University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
SOS ART 08, Group Exhibition Art Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
2005
"Visions IX," International Juried Exhibition The Cathedral Gallery, Covington KY
2004
“Personing,” Solo Exhibition The Cathedral Gallery, Covington KY
2003
“Figures,” Juried Group Exhibition Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center, Covington KY
2000
Juried Group Exhibition The Cinergy Foundation, Cincinnati OH
The Big Pig Gig ARTWORKS public art project, Cincinnati OH
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Li, Angela, AATONAU. Tom Owen: Illuminating Memory Through Layers Of Light, 11/25. https://aatonau.com/tom-owen-illuminating-memory-through-layers-oflight
Voyage Ohio Magazine, Rising Stars, August 28, 2025 Issue, https://voyageohio.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-tom-owen-of-greater-cincinnati-region
Curatory Magazine. Volume 1, Issue 1, March 2025, Featured Artist, page 145, https://www.curatorymagazine.com/volume-1
Bond, Page, POLLINATE. Exhibition Catalog, Page Bond Gallery, May 2023. https://issuu.com/pbgallery/docs/pollinate_v.2?fr=sYmVhNzU2MDcyMQ.
Artist Spotlight Look Book:Tom Owen https://issuu.com/pbgallery/docs/owen_lookbook?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ
Contemporary Art Chronicle. Volume 2 Emergent Realities and the Fabrication of Now. December 2022 https://www.cachronicle.net/volume2
Bond, Page, Good Will II. A Group Exhibition Catalog, Page Bond Gallery, December 2022, https://issuu.com/pbgallery/docs/good_will_ii
MIDWEST GOODNESS: A Chat with Artist Tom Owen. TOUGH ON ART Podcast by Jen Tough Gallery, February 02, 2022, Tom Owen Season 2 Episode 20 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1587283/10001530
Tough, Jen, Wildlands. Profiles of American Mid-career Artists, Jen Tough Gallery, January, 2021 https:www.blurb.com/11023271
Burns, Roberta & Shady, Holly, eds.; ARTFIELDS 2019 “The Exhibition”, 2019, Lake City, SC
Spanos, Litsa, ed., BLINK “Your Art Resource” a juried catalog of professional artists, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
Cross, Rebecca, “Artist Spotlight: Tom Owen Says Truth Has Power to Scatter Darkness”, SCNow Morning News. May 1, 2019
Spanos, Litsa, Secrets of the Art World. 2017.
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Recent corporate commissions:
City Of Hope Medical & Research Center, Los Angeles CA.
Government Strategies Group, Cincinnati, OH.
Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP, Cleveland OH
Great American Insurance Group Headquarters, Cincinnati, OH
Dean Dorton CPA and Advisory Firm, Ft Wright, KY
Applied Story Telling Brand Environments, Los Angeles, CA
School Outfitters, Cincinnati, OH
Miller Valentine Construction, Cincinnati, OH
“Tom’s paintings have a subtle and warm interplay of color that draws one in. This thoughtful selection and application of color, a characteristic of his work, makes it interesting and accessible, enabling it to stand out in its boldness and simplicity, differentiating it from the typical minimalistic genre.”