Interview with Owen York
Owen York is an American Fine Artist who works primarily in mixed-media, and regularly uses drawings, oils, acrylics and watercolors. Formally trained at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, he considers himself a Modern Impressionist, while his work can be reminiscent of pop art or comic book art with themes ranging from space opera and sci-fi to to music, post-apocalyptic, politics or guns.
You mention that your work often takes on a life of its own, diverging from your original vision. How do you navigate this tension between creative control and the evolving autonomy of a piece? What does this say about your relationship with your own artistic process?
Good question. I think it’s been a little give-and-take. Originally, I just did whatever I want. So that’s easy. But then, after some formal training, especially commercial arts training, you are very much trained to be a rented pair of arms — or “art slave” as I like to call it. The commercials arts processes can be very rigid. You’re basically given instructions and told what to do and those guidelines have to be followed. Unfortunately, that method sort of stuck for a number of years, even after I left commercial arts. Once I realized that I still had these ropes and chains, I got rid of them. However, it wasn’t all bad. That structure can be very useful and a lot of it is very professional experience and training. So, I feel like my modern work is a mix of doing whatever the hell I want mixed with that professional structure and training. So, I wouldn’t say that I am diverging from my original vision at all. I think the original vision just evolves as you bring it out of the mind and into the brick and mortar world. It doesn’t always translate exactly how you picture. I definitely retain the autonomy as the artist, but I guess you could say that I do follow the painting eventually, because at the end of the day you need to do what’s best for the work. So my artistic process would be a mix of what I want to do or what I want to say, mixed with what I think is the greatest good for the work or that individual piece.
Your work embodies extremes—from sci-fi epics to minimalist tendencies. How do you reconcile these opposing artistic impulses? What drives your movement between maximalism in storytelling and minimalism in form, and how do these elements inform each other?
Yes, I’ve definitely gotten into some extremes. I don’t know that I have to reconcile anything. Those are the impulses and interests that I pursue. I think that’s what makes me different and a unique artist. I don’t know anyone else who’ has went down this exact path. It is definitely trailblazing.
I like the question of minimalism of style and maximalism of storytelling. Great comparison. I would refer back to the official bio on my website. I consider myself a writer at heart. My original goal in life at the age of seven was to be a writer. So, I get to fulfill my original goal along with where my career took me, which is the visual arts. I am attracted to impressionism and minimalism, and they definitely impact each other. A recent painting is a great example. In the piece, Smells Like…Victory”, I tend slightly more on the realistic side of impressionism, but in the same painting, there is extreme minimalism where it is literally just a shape giving the impression of a landscape — it’s literally flat, but appears 3D. I like that contrast.
Your passion for sci-fi and space opera contrasts with your ability to depict grounded portraits of American life. How do these two worlds coexist in your work, and what do they reveal about your perceptions of both the extraordinary and the ordinary?
I think that’s also a little personally motivated. I’ve always had an interest in space opera and science fiction as an artist, and as a reader and viewer. But I do like the simplicity of a landscape of an American farm, for example.
But, I definitely see what you’re getting at - I do seem to have these two extremes of complexity versus simplicity. Great observation. I think I experience that personally, too, in my life. I feel my efforts are always to be simple or tending towards simplicity, but I think I can get complex, too. Maybe that’s an internal battle of my own that you are seeing in my work. It could be coming out unconsciously.
Your current work references memes, satire, and politics, blending pop culture with social commentary. How do you view the role of the artist in reflecting, critiquing, or shaping contemporary culture, especially in an era saturated with media?
I think this has always been the job of any artist. The higher profile the artist is, the better chance they get to shape the culture. It is definitely difficult when you have media screaming at you from every angle, overwhelming amounts of social media, ungodly amounts of information and disinformation, etc. You really do need to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Just being a good artist is not good enough. There are lots of good artists out there. And an unfortunate volume of them are broke and will do something else, eventually. They never figured out how to break through the noise of modern culture. It’s hard. I think my personal role as an artist in the modern day has been determined by two things, whether I like it or not. The first is definitely by me, self-determined. I am the pilot of the ship. But the second, and the tougher bullet to bite, is that I got attention sometimes for things I didn’t necessary intend. Sometimes they were happy accidents, and sometimes I had to make a serious judgement call to “own it” or not. At the end of the day, I finally decided to be myself as an artist. I decided to say what I really think, and really just put my balls on the table, even if it wasn’t popular opinion. No hiding. Funny enough, that’s when I got the most attention.
You express a desire to "leave big marks on the planet." What do you hope those marks will signify in the long term? How do you envision the impact of your work on future generations, both artistically and culturally?
For sure. As an artist, I hope that I set a good example. I am definitely not a personal fan of the direction The Arts have taken over the last 70 years, particularly. And while it is true that art is always in the eye to beholder, it is also a trade. There is skill, science, technique. It is something you are good at, or you’re not. And I think it is went the other way. A lot of art has become a farce, a joke. I hope to set an example as an actual, bona fide, experienced and trained artist who does good art. But also as a business person. Art is a business and if you don’t treat it like a business, once again you will be an unknown and broke. Artistically, I definitely have a unique style. I sort of consider that I am following in the footsteps of modern impressionism, yet I know people compare me to the genre of pop art, which is fine. I can see how my work fits into that genre, especially when you look at guys like Roy Lichtenstein. Where he is more of a comic strip artist, mine can be viewed as maybe a sort of “comic book”. No matter what people categorize me as, it’s definitely original. When you are looking at my work, you know you are looking at an “Owen York” painting. Also, as far as making actual firearms as art, while there are other people have painted guns or even used decommissioned gun parts in their art, I’m the first artist in history who has made an actual, functioning firearm as a piece of bona fide art. There are beautifully crafted guns by artisans out there that, to me, are worthy of being called art, too. But, I think I’m blazing that trail further. No other fine artist has done this.
You incorporate a diverse range of influences, from your suburban Chicagoland roots to your fascination with French Impressionism and sci-fi. How do these personal and cultural touchpoints shape your identity as an artist, and how do they manifest in your work?
I think this supplies to any artist, any real artist, anyway. You sort of find your lane. I think your lane is formed from where you came from. It came from what you know and what you’ve learned. You can’t really deny where you came from or who you are. So, you use it. It’s all over my work and you will continue to see it in the work.
You’ve mentioned that you use your life in your work, often playing with different genres like sci-fi and post-apocalyptic themes. How does this sense of play and transformation reflect your views on reality and imagination, particularly in the context of modern society?
Even in my earliest writing and art, you create your own reality. It’s 100% straight out of my own imagination. I sort of look around and I think of movies that I grew up watching in the 80s and — these science fiction movies. And now, when you look around, the imagination of those movies of 30 and 40 years ago is the reality of today. Even in the technologies. Not that long ago it was special effects, and now it’s real and it’s in our hands. This is another testament to the artist creating with future quite literally. I think my work fits in nicely in these crazy days. The genres that I work in are quite popular, and it is really a crazy world right now. I think it’s more relevant than ever.
In your statement, you hint at an internal conflict, asking, "What am I trying to say with my art?" How do you wrestle with this question as an artist? Do you believe it's possible to answer it fully, or do you see art as a continual search without a definitive resolution?
It’s definitely a continual search. I think if you ever feel like you are fully concluded, you’re done. I have tried to say different things with my art at different periods in my life. Over time, my opinions change. My viewpoints can change. Me now is different than me 30 years ago. I think at this point I just sort of try to say what I’m saying with the work in front of me. Every painting is a chance to say something else. Every work that comes out of my studio has the opinion and viewpoint of myself at that time. I think at some point if somebody went back and documented my work, they will be able to see some of that self discovery.
You describe yourself as a Modern Impressionist, but one deeply engaged with contemporary subjects like memes, satire, and firearms. How do you see your work redefining or expanding the boundaries of Impressionism in today’s artistic landscape?
For sure, I’m not gonna fit in with Impressionists who are doing landscapes or the local city park or anything like that. And while I do enjoy those kind of genres and plan to do more myself, I still think my work definitely fits into that definition of impressionism. Impressionism is art which uses values or color to give the impression of the thing, rather than a photorealistic portrayal of it. For example, if you go to a Monet, obviously these are not photorealism. But you look at it and you can “see” the cathedral or a bridge. You get the idea. My work is definitely not a Monet, but I am still using color and value, chiefly, to get the idea across. I am definitely not doing realism I am communicating the impression of the thing, rather than a photorealistic portrayal. This is why I consider myself a modern impressionist. But as I said, some people will group me into pop art, which is fine. I can totally see being grouped into that genre. At the end of the day, I don’t really give a shit what people categorize the work as. It’s gonna get grouped where it gets grouped. But that’s not important. Even if it’s ultimately classified as pop art. I don’t really care.
Your character "Greek," a green alien, has been a constant figure since childhood, representing a universe of its own. What does Greek symbolize for you personally, and how does he serve as a conduit for broader themes or ideas you explore in your work?
Greek is definitely a part of me. Even though the character is fictional, I’ve been writing about him for 30 years now. I feel like I know the guy. He’s very real to me. So he naturally became the logo for my studio. I feel like I would be abandoning a large part of my life if I didn't carry him and the universe around him forward with the studio. If it wasn't for this character, even making a fine art of Science Fiction, or a fine art of space, opera, or whatever you wanna call it. I likely wouldn't be doing it. There are roads that I have traveled as an artist that I never would've even considered. If you knew the character like I did, there's a lot of me in there, naturally. You would probably feel like you even knew me a little little bit.
