To change habitats and emerge yourself deep into the gut of another culture is an anthropological analysis relating the conscious self to the human race.  Over the last 7 years I have done exactly that while living abroad with keen observation and heightened sensibility.  I draw from my roots as an American woman and free-spirited Californian and merge that with the influence of the Italian society I've grown so accustomed to.

At the present time I am working diligently at the studio in northern Italy.  Revisiting the female form has stregthened my foundation as a figurative painter and has launched an array of abstract anatomical impressions.  I'm intrigued by the idea of parallel universes and multi-dimensional thinking and being.  We are but specs among the infinite;  part of the fluidity of the living universe.  Awareness is an awakening, and my paintings are transporters to that sensation.  The influence of Kundalini yoga and a lifetime devotion to swimming help me approach each work with clarity and balance while on the road to discovery.

Another inevitable influence that is slowly unveiling in my work is the internet and cyber-space travel.  Many of my figures are in a state of complete desolation; in a momentary reflection of their surroundings ranging from surreal landscapes to abstract states of being.  Even with thousands of miles between, the internet has kept me from falling off the radar through instant connectivity with all familiarities.  I'm fascinated by its velocity, yet its pace and ability to isolate individuals among the human race is overwhelming.  We are always searching for something.

In the meantime, I continue to have great chemistry sessions in the studio searching for new techniques and reinforcing old ones.  Please browse the sketchbook section to see the birth and evolution of these works.

Grazie!

Chelsea Owens