OWEN THOMPSON

 

Born Melbourne 1958. Grew up near Heidelburg, ( the area made famous by Streeton, Roberts, McCubbin and others of the Heidelburg school ).  Moved to Sydney at eight years of age. Now resident in the Blue Mountains.  

 

Owen, who majored in painting and printmaking at the UNSW college of Fine Art and at the Adelaide Art school for his Bachelor of Fine Arts, now specializes in drawing and watercolour. He has held twenty six solo exhibitions to date.

All have reflected his interest in the natural world and his ability to tackle complex subjects in watercolour.

His works display strong drawing and compositional skills along with a love of colour and light.

They reflect the influence of Australia’s early romantic landscape painters like Conrad Martens, John Glover, Eugene von Guerard and Piquenit.

 

He was elected as an exhibiting member of  the Australian Watercolour Institute in 1996 , and  has exhibited in all of their annual exhibitions since. He was also an exhibiting member of the Royal Art Society from 2000 to 2010

 

Group exhibitions have included a teaching artists exchange exhibition with artists from  Barcelona in 1991, the Sister Cities exchange exhibition, Katoomba with Sanda, Japan in 1998  and the “Land out of Time” exhibition in 2004 which featured works by Blue Mountains artist’s that presented contemporary re-interpretations of landscape works depicting the mountains painted in the early 1900’s. This exhibition was first shown at Penrith regional Gallery, then toured to the regional galleries of Griffith NSW and Stanthorpe QLD.

 

Owen also worked extensively as an art teacher, having taught art in a secondary school, ( Roseville College ) for 11 years, seven of these as consultant for HSC major works. Also tutored watercolour at PLC Pymble, the Univesity of NSW, the KVB College, and at community art centres in Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

Currently he teaches drawing and watercolour at The Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney.

 

Well known for his sublime landscapes of the Blue Mountains, which capture the austere beauty and light of this unique region, Owen Thompson is represented by Day Fine Art Gallery, Blackheath, NSW.

 

Examples of his work are in the collections of the University of NSW, Adelaide College of Arts, Lane Cove council, Nepean hospital and Artbank

 

Bibliography: Australian Artist Magazine Dec. 1987 & June 1999, The Artist’s Pallette magazine annual, 1999, The Australian Watercolour Institute 1923- 1998 Beagle Press 1998, Land out of Time –The Blue Mountains then and now, Carolynne Skinner,

Oz Arts Publications,  Spring 2004, and Winter 2020