HAY FEVER

by OWEN BLACKWELL

3/29/25

Springtime on the central coast is an eruption of color—green hills, golden poppies, wild mustard in full bloom. It’s beautiful, overwhelming, and for many, a little suffocating. HAY FEVER, a new collection of work by Owen Blackwell, captures this tension: vibrant and textured paintings built through layers of meticulous patterning and raw disruption.

Blackwell’s work draws from a deep well of influences—pre-Columbian South American textiles, Andalusian tile work, and the folk traditions of both Chile and the United States. His process is one of construction and excavation: paint is applied, sanded down, reworked, and revealed. Canvases, once abandoned, find new life.

Join us on March 29th from 6–8 PM to experience HAY FEVER, an exploration of color, memory, and the cyclical nature of creation.

“I was born and raised on California’s central coast, where I grew up sailing, singing, and acting against a backdrop of rolling green hills, the deep blue Pacific, and the vibrant—often allergy-inducing—super blooms of springtime. These colors have shaped my visual language, becoming an intrinsic part of my work.

After high school, I spent a year in Chile as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange, where I sought out traditional art forms beyond my academic studies. I traveled into the mountains to the town of Coya, where I became a regular at the local museum’s community classes. There, I learned copper jewelry-making and ceramics and was introduced to the rich history of pre-Columbian South American textiles—an influence that continues to inform my work. My travels in Spain, Chile, and the U.S. have drawn me toward the geometric beauty of Andalusian tile work, the humble precision of Amish quilts, and the vernacular artistry found in folk traditions across cultures.”

“For me, painting is a timeline, a meditation. Layers accumulate over weeks, forming patterns and symmetries, only to be disrupted—scraped back, worn down—to reveal the history beneath. The canvases I use are found objects, given to me years ago—some from a late artist in Cambria, others gifted by friends. I embrace their past, layering onto them with vivid colors and intricate patterns before distressing the surface to expose what lies beneath. The final pieces live in the tension between order and disorder, symmetry and chaos, vibrancy and decay. Even the frames are part of this conversation, built from reclaimed wood salvaged from old barns and fences.”

“Beyond painting, I write, make music, and photograph—all ways of storytelling. But painting, in particular, feels like a dialogue with time itself, an unfolding process of creation and destruction that mirrors the landscapes, traditions, and experiences that have shaped me.”