Oil & Gas Art Gallery

Some of Owen’s most popular artwork!

“Since we live in Alberta, it’s no big surprise that my oil and gas series has been a big hit. Oddly enough, it didn’t occur to me until several dozen of my biggest Platinum Members kept asking me for pencil drawings of vintage oil rigs.”

“After about 4 years it penetrated the mental cement, and I began the meticulous research that I’ve become infamous for.”

“Actually it’s become somewhat of a paradox in my life: I do tons of research in the archives, museums, talking to some of the old-timers, and so on…but no oil company in its right mind would hire me to work on a rig. Twenty plus years of being ether an artist or a musician has left me essentially unemployable; I’d be a hazard to self and others.”

"So when people ask me about my past and whether it includes working on the rigs, I end up scuffing the ground with my shoe and confessing that ‘no, I’ve never actually worked on an oil rig.’”

“But in my own defence, I know a lot about the lifestyle. My Dad worked the rigs for years, and lots of the people I grew up with are in the industry, so even though I’m ‘constitutionally unsuitable’ for this kind of work, I still Get It, and appreciate the qualities of the men and of the industry.”

“Working on oil and gas art was the real beginning of my understanding of the importance of research. I didn’t know jack about the equipment or what conditions were back then, but I knew enough about the fellas that if I didn’t nail it, those old dudes would be the FIRST to let me know I’d blown it…”