MotorCities National Heritage Area
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By Robert Tate, Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images courtesy of Randy Owens’ web site
Posted: 7.11.2018

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One of the most gifted and talented automotive racing artists working today is Randy Owens. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Owens majored in a fine arts program at Northern Virginia Community College. He originally wanted to become a professional tennis player, but his love for auto racing took him to many places around the sporting world. 

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Throughout his great career, Owens has always been attracted to vibrant and bright colors, crisp edges, the power of speed, and the performance of winning. He has established himself in the American auto racing art scene, and his work is admired by racing fans all over the world. 

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His artwork offers a realistic painting style that is both modern and revolutionary, highlighted with his signature bright and vivid colors. His great use of color tells the story of cars on a race track or winning the race depicting a power and speed that is incredible. Some racing fans have said that Owens realistically captures the atmosphere and beauty of a race, while imparting that wonderful use of color. 

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Randy Owens’ illustrations have been part of over 200 automotive exhibitions over his career. His work has been on display in five countries at venues including the Axis Galleries in Tokyo, the l’art et l’automobile Gallery in New York City and the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. He is best known for his original, hand-printed serigraphs of contemporary racing scenes, as well as his lively graphic designs on the Scandia Motorsports racing art cars. From 2011 through 2013, Owens was the official event merchandiser for the prestigious Grand Prix of Baltimore.

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One of the ways that Randy Owens’ creates art is through a process called Giclee. A Giclee is a digitally printed piece of art created using archival inks and papers. Giclees are replacing the offset lithographs as a medium grade art process due to their smaller batch sizes and durable inks and paper. Owens produces a number of his pieces as Giclees and offers some as embellished Giclees. Embellished Giclees have hand-painted accents to brighten colors and create a unique piece of art.  

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From motorcycles to racing automobiles, Owen's artwork can heighten the understanding and appreciation of both the artist and the subject. For more information on this incredibly talented artist, visit the Randy Owens official store at stores.randyowens.com.

Bibliography         

Randy Owen’s official website - About the Artist.