Miriam Owen

     I have been working in my Gualala Ridge art studio for over 40 years. I began as a potter making high fired functional ceramics. I did this for over 30 years. I moved from clay to making figurative driftwood sculptures. Every morning, I walk my dog on local beaches. I found natural inspiration from beachcombing. I began collecting beautiful wave worn driftwood and dried bull kelp heads and began fabricating figurative sculptures. ‘Kelp People’ were what I called a regional artifact, made with heads of dried bull kelp and articulated driftwood bodies. I also made what I called ‘Guardians’, embellished with parrot feathers or interesting reeds for head elements. More whimsical driftwood figures used many playful found objects to embellish.

     In 2015 I completely changed direction and sponged years of clay and sawdust off the white walls of the studio and painted them barn red and two different teal greens. The colors alone transformed the studio but so did the addition of glass top tables for rolling inks and a large open spoke Conrad monotype press.

     Printmaking became my main focus drawing inspiration from my garden, my dog, outer space, leaf shapes and simply playing with colors.

     For open studio this year, I will be selling some of my personal favorite driftwood figures as well as monotypes made since 2015.

     In 2021 I began making a series of collages which I will also be showing. They are in an Instagram ‘gallery’ collage_miriamoooh. You can see a selection of my monoprints on my website miriamowenmonoprints.com.

When you visit my studio, you will enjoy a walk through my floral landscape, 40 years in the making. Two well established Mimosa Silk Trees will be in flower, often with hummingbirds flitting from flower to flower. You will take in first hand, where much inspiration for my art comes form.