Self-taught artist creates photorealistic oil paintings

Robert Owens is an oil painter who has been creating art since he was young. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ROBERT OWENS.
Robert Owens is an oil painter who has been creating art since he was young. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ROBERT OWENS.

Self-taught artist creates photorealistic oil paintings

By Tia Carol Jones

Robert Owens has been making art since he was 6 years old. He had an assignment where he had to draw a church and it looked just like the church. He became popular for creating art. He stopped and returned to it in his early 20s, making oil paintings.

Owens has been commissioned by the city of Marshville, NC, to do an oil painting based on the movie, “The Color Purple,” as parts of the movie, which starred Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey were filmed in the city. The paintings are supposed to coincide with the Marshville Color Purple Walk, where people can see the locations from the movie. The walk also is a way to pay homage to the book’s writer, Alice Walker.

Owens is skilled in every medium. He can do photo realism. He can make pencil drawing and oil painting high definition and photo realistic. He also does acrylic painting and oil pastel. A self-taught artist, Owens said none of the different ever challenged him, they have come naturally.

According to Owens, oil paintings hold value well and appreciate faster than other artwork. He believes people should choose this medium because it is an investment and can add beauty to the home. Owens has created paintings of historical figures including Malcolm X, Bob Marley, Frederick Douglass, Michelle Obama, as well as performers including Billie Holiday, Prince and Lena Horne.

Owens has been contracted to create a series of five paintings related to Marshville and “The Color Purple.” Owens has already created one painting, it depicts Oprah Winfrey as Sophia in the town.

“The buildings in the background are the buildings that are currently standing in Marshville, North Carolina. They wanted me to show the scenery, which preserves their legacy as having those historical sites, utilized for the movie,” he said.

With every piece Owens creates, he likes to establish metaphors. With this piece, Winfrey is in full color, while the background of the town is in black and white and the sky purple. The metaphorical idea for the piece is that the background issues in America that affect the Black community has always been issues between Black people and white people.

Owens said the piece is one of his favorite paintings. It took him four and a half months to create the piece. He added that oil paint is not an easy medium to work with and a really good oil painting takes about six months to create. He is negotiating on the creation of the second piece, which would be of Whoopi Goldberg.

“I really thought it was a good opportunity because of the storyline behind the town and everything that goes along with the movie, it being filmed there. So, I’m really excited about lending my artistic gifts to it,” Owens said.

For more information about Robert Owens and his paintings, visit rcoartistry.com.

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