PAINTING WITH PULPY STYLE, LIKE A BLACK FILM – Owen Smith: an almost proletarian sensitivity

OWEN SMITH 1/4 – His influences come from the walls paintings artists of the 1930s. While living in New York, he was commission to design a set of mosaic murals – permanently installed in a New York Subway Station at 36th Street Brooklyn – as a celebration of the working people who have made the subway what it is today, he designed this brilliantly colored mosaic work with Brooklyn riders in mind. Every one of his illustrations, is rich with detail (in many he has a noirish view of violence either happening or about to happen).

OWEN SMITH 2/4 – He designed lobby murals (but also mosaic panels, and relief sculptures), for new buildings at the historic Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco. He is known nationally, for his expressive figurative painting style, reminiscent of the social realist movement. In 2008, he created a series of posters (Dashiell Hammett’s San Francisco), for the San Francisco Arts Commission’s annual “Art on Market Street” kiosk poster series. Six huge posters, introduced and captured moments from The Maltese Falcon for city dwellers.

OWEN SMITH 3/4 – His illustration clients, include Time and Rolling Stone. He is a master fine artist – a painter, muralist, mosaic artist and a sculptor. A local husband and father, whose lively works were featured in the last Eclectix “Flesh” issue, he is currently working for the San Francisco Arts Commission and teaches at the California College of the Arts. His illustrative and fine art works have graced many editorials – permeating pop culture.

      OWEN SMITH 4/4 – His illustrations have appeared in numerous magazines and Newspapers. Critics admire his style as Pulpy, film-noirish, with an earthy, almost proletarian sensibility. His painting and sculpture has been exhibited in New York, Milan, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He lives with his wife and two sons in Alameda California, where he teaches Illustration at California College of the Arts. http://www.owensmithart.com/