By Satina Tolman
For The New Era
When Sweet Home artist Carolyn Owen creates, time seems to disappear.
“The world just fades away,” she said. “When I’m in the process and things are flowing onto the canvas or paper, time stops; it’s like it doesn’t exist. I feel like I’m doing what I was born to do, like my soul is singing and I’m connecting with who I truly am.”
That deep sense of joy and purpose is reflected in every one of Owen’s works, which will be on display in the SHOCASE Art Exhibit at Sweet Home City Hall, from Oct. 23 through Nov. 27. Visitors can view her artwork free of charge during regular business hours, Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
An artist reception will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 4 to 5 p.m., where guests can meet Owen, ask her questions, and enjoy light refreshments provided by SHOCASE.
From Childhood Sketches to a Lifelong Calling
Owen’s love for art began in childhood, long before she had formal training or a studio to work in.
“My mom used to write poetry and type it out on paper,” Owen recalled with a laugh. “I would steal her papers and draw and doodle all over them. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love art.”
That early fascination grew into something more serious in high school. “I took an art class and just fell in love even more,” she said. “I thought, this is what I love. This is what I want to do.”
Her passion led her to major in fine arts in college, where her work was selected for the commencement program design in 1994, a proud moment that marked the beginning of her professional journey.
Inspired by Family and Fashion
Born in Las Vegas, Owen moved to Oregon as a young adult and met her husband, Greg. The two have been married for 31 years, have raised five children and now enjoy three grandchildren. They’ve called Sweet Home home for 24 years.
Though she’s the only professional artist in her immediate family, creativity runs deep in her lineage. Her grandmother, Irene Elizabeth Holdren, was an oil painter and teacher whose artistry and flair for style left a lasting impression on her granddaughter.
“My grandmother did a lot of oil paintings, mostly landscapes, and she was also very fashionable,” Owen said. “She loved the elegance of old Hollywood styles from the 1920s through the 1960s. She would take me to high-end fashion stores just to look at the gowns. I take after her quite a bit.”
Those childhood experiences shaped Owen’s signature style: a blend of realism, impressionism, and vintage-inspired fashion illustration.
Blending Realism and Impressionism
Owen’s artwork is classified as multi-media, using markers, colored pencils, oil pastels, watercolor, and acrylics; often layered together to create rich depth and texture.
“I like to create my art as close to real life as possible,” she said. “But I also love impressionism. It’s soft and blurry, and your eye gets to create the image through suggestions, colors, and shapes.”
Her ocean, botanicas, and nature themes often lean toward impressionism, while her fashion pieces and portraits reveal her precise sense of realism.
Some of her portraits are so detailed they’re often mistaken for photographs. “I love, love, love doing portraits,” she said, smiling.
A Journey of Growth and Perseverance
After earning her art degree, Owen took time away from the studio to serve a church mission, get married, and raise her family. But art was never far from her mind.
When her children were young, she began freelancing, creating commissioned artwork, website designs, and illustrations for businesses, including designing stamps for the Jayhawk Rubber Stamp Company, based in Idaho.
In 2015, she returned to school online at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, earning additional training in graphic design. That education opened new doors, leading her to work on website art, packaging, product graphics, logos, and digital art.
Still, her heart always brings her back to fine art, to that meditative process where everything else fades away.
“I’m a perfectionist,” Owen admitted. “If something doesn’t turn out how I want, I’ll throw it away, even if it’s almost done. But when things are going right, I’m just filled with happiness and excitement. It’s like pure peace.”
Bringing Art Into the Classroom
Owen’s creativity extends far beyond her personal studio. For the past 12 years, she has worked at Foster Elementary School, where she began as a kindergarten assistant and now serves as a special education assistant.
“Children and art have always been my favorite things,” she said. “They make me happy.”
She often incorporates her artistic talent into her classroom activities, creating bulletin boards, door displays, welcome signs, and even drawing custom writing prompts for students.
“I’ll sketch a quick little picture off the top of my head and have them write a few sentences about what’s happening in the scene,” she said. “It’s really fun for them and for me.”
Lessons for Aspiring Artists
Over the years, Owen has learned that persistence is the true key to artistic success, not natural-born talent.
“If you’re interested in art, even just a little bit, go for it,” she said. “No one is truly born with talent. If you saw my childhood drawings, they’d look just like any other five-year-old’s.”
She credits a college professor with giving her the advice that stuck: Being a good artist is 99% hard work and 1% talent.
“Like learning an instrument, it takes practice and dedication,” she said. “When I took a break to raise my kids, I had to literally go back to the drawing board. I had to keep studying, keep working, keep developing my talent. I’ve failed many times, but don’t give up. Stick with it.”
As an artist who has seen technology evolve, Owen admits she’s uneasy about the rise of artificial intelligence in the art world.
“I worry that AI will discourage the next generation from developing their own creative skills,” she said. “There’s nothing like the feeling you get from creating something yourself with your own hands.”
Celebration of Women and Creation
While fashion and beauty are recurring themes in Owen’s work, her art carries a deeper message — one rooted in gratitude, reverence, and faith.
“My hope is that viewers of my art feel a deeper appreciation and reverence for nature and especially for women,” she said. “After creating the heavens and the earth, God saved His greatest creation for last, the human female. She is to be praised and admired in the most respectful way.”
That message, part spiritual reflection and part artistic philosophy, is what Owen hopes visitors will take with them when they see her exhibit at Sweet Home City Hall.
“I just love creating,” she said. “I feel like I’m exercising the gift that God gave me.”