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Bill Owen was born in 1942 in Gila Bend, Arizona to a mother who was an artist and a father who had been a cowboy throughout the early 1900s. These early influences shaped his desire to be an artist, and cultivated his interest in the cowboy lifestyle. Having inherited the God-given talent, it was only natural he would strive to become an artist who chronicles the lives and works of the contemporary cowboy.
Inducted into the Cowboy Artists of America in 1973, Bill has earned a total of 25 medals and awards at the annual show. He has exhibited at the Whitney Museum in Cody, Wyoming, the Grand Palais in Paris, France, and at the Western Art Show in Beijing, China. In 1993 Bill was awarded the Frederic Remington Award for Artistic Merit by the Cowboy Hall of Fame; and that same year he became a member and staff artist of Rancheros Visitadores. The prestigious Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma honored Bill as their Rendezvous Artist in April of 1996; and most recently, he became the first recipient of Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Award at the 2003 Prix de West Invitational Show.
In 1989, while practicing for a rodeo, Bill survived a freak accident, which resulted in the loss of sight in his right eye. He does not consider this to be a handicap and has overcome the limitations caused by the loss of depth perception; successfully resuming sculpting in 2002.
Bill believes one of the greatest achievements in his life has been The Arizona Cowpuncher’s Scholarship Organization; which he founded in 1995 and continues to be very involved in. The non-profit organization is dedicated to raising money to finance the educations of young people from Arizona ranching families following their high school graduations.
Bill and his wife, Valerie, live in Wickenburg, Arizona. |
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Always Aware
oil on canvas, 20" x 30"
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