Meet Chelsea Owens
About the Artist.
Chelsea Owens is an artist and designer who has lived around the world — from her beginnings in Washington, DC to her many years spent living in Italy, Chelsea now calls the Bay Area home and resides there with her two children.
If you are interested in a studio visit, commissioned work, or to discuss having her art on the walls of your home, office, or commercial space, please get in touch!
Read on for more details about Chelsea’s work, life, and career.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I consider myself an action painter, abstract expressionist, and color alchemist. In both my abstract and figurative work, my paintings feature intricate layering, texture, and technique, evoking a sense of movement and emotion as I manipulate hues and use paint as a form of radical and authentic expression.
Through visual storytelling, my artwork weaves a tapestry of emotion and imagination, encouraging the viewer to reflect and discover their own emotions. The harmony I seek is found in the interplay of color and form. Often reflecting the current state of my heart, mind, body, and soul, each brushstroke is a dialogue with myself and the world. My paintings act as mirrors, inviting introspection while also highlighting the complex beauty of the human experience.
There is infinite interpretation in my paintings — beginning with the physical, intellectual, and emotional, I seek to challenge myself and the viewer to share in this exploration of existence, take the necessary risks that life demands, and foster a sense of community and understanding. Art bridges the gap between our individual experiences and the universal truths that bind us all, and I am here to share this visceral experience with my audience.”
- Chelsea Owens
BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised outside Washington, DC, it was clear from early childhood that Chelsea Brie Maslow Owens had an artistic vision. It was instantaneous and driven by her personal narrative — her youthful bedroom walls were covered in artwork, she collaborated on community murals and theatrical production designs, and hosted avant-garde photo shoots. From the very beginning, it was clear: she had a vision.
After attending the Corcoran School of Art and University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she graduated with honors from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco as a Production Designer in their film department. With its wildly talented art scene, the Bay Area was a dynamic place for Chelsea to meet fellow artists, forge relationships, and work on numerous projects — including her long term collaborations creating installation art at Burning Man Arts Festival. She worked professionally as a Set Designer for Theater, Film, and Commercial productions in San Francisco before eventually moving to Hollywood to devote herself to Production Design.
Leaving Hollywood for Milan, Italy was a culture shock. But for more than a decade, she resided in Italy where she began working exclusively on oil paintings. Capturing her experience as the foreign feminine wedged between two cultures, her work began to explore the fusing of identity in abstract, using vivid colors and bold strokes. Her paintings were exhibited in galleries across Europe, including the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris and Scope Art Fairs in Italy, Monte Carlo, and Switzerland.
It took some time, but eventually the winds swept her back into the arms of California, and she moved to the verdant hills of Santa Barbara to raise her two sons and build an immersive art studio from the ground up. Through the eyes of her children, Chelsea began painting the world as they would see it — bright, vast, and full of promise — as well as teaching local children to connect with art. As a color alchemist, her work matured while living in the hills surrounded by both vibrant coastal life, an abundant landscape, and the influence of the destructive powers of wildfires and mudslides — both of which put a toll on her small family. As her children grew, so did her desire to be where the art was. And so it was not long before the Bay Area called to her once again, and with a twenty year gap she finally returned to live and work amidst California’s most vibrant and innovative art scene.
Chelsea currently resides in Berkeley and paints every day in her studio. Eager to connect with local artists and collectors, she has opened her studio and heart to make lasting relationships with fellow creatives. To schedule a studio visit, please get in touch directly with the artist here.
CURRICULUM VITAE
SOLO & GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
Group Exhibit: ExpoMetro 2025, Barcelona, Spain
Juried Group Exhibit: “Happiness”, Biafarin/Exhibizone, April 2024
Juried Group Exhibit: “Urban Tides; a San Francisco Story”, SF Ferry Building &
Voss Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2024
Featured Artist: Visual Jill Home Staging Company, Berkeley, CA 2024-present
Featured Artist: Singulart, “Figurative Expressionists” Group Exhibition 2023
Solo Exhibit, “Baker & Commons”, Berkeley, CA 2023/24
Featured Artist: The Yoni Temple, Oakland, CA 2023/24
Solo Exhibit, “Grove Salon”, Albany, CA, 2023
Group Exhibit, "Abstract San Francisco", ARTFUSE Gallery, SF, CA 2023
Climate ( ish ) Group Exhibit, Third Space Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2023
Group Exhibit, PopUP Gallery, Lower Haight Art/Street Festival 2023
Fashün/ Third Space Gallery: Group Exhibit, San Francisco, CA 2023
Group Exhibit, Lower Haight Artist Collective PopUp, San Francisco, CA 2022
“Cobalt Blues” Exhibit, Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Albany, CA 2022
Solo Exhibit, “Revelations in Time”, San Francisco, CA 2020
Group Exhibit, “100 Under a Grand”, Sullivan Goss Gallery, Santa Barbara CA 2018/2019
Group Exhibit, "100 Under a Grand", Sullivan Goss Gallery, Santa Barbara CA 2017/2018
Group Exhibit, "Abstract 8", Santa Barbara Tennis Club, CA 2018
Solo Exhibit, "Caldo & Umido", Pietra Santa, Italia, 2016
Group Exhibit: Emotions of the World Gallery 'Grottesco', Parma, Italia 2015
Solo Exhibit: Santa Barbara Latin Film Festival, Santa Barbara, CA 2015
Group Exhibit: Palazzo del Pane, Milano, Italia, April 2015
Solo Exhibit: Santa Barbara 1st Thursday Art Walk; "A Taste of Spain" April 2015
Solo Exhibit: "Persona" Engel & Völkers Santa Barbara, California 2015
Group Exhibit, EOTW Gallery, "Affordable Art Fair Milano" Italia, October 2015
Solo Exhibit, "Splashed & Luscious", EOTW Gallery, Lodi, Italia, August 2015
Group Exhibit, "SCOPE" Art Fiera, Switzerland, June 2015
Group Exhibit, Salon SNBA Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, France 2014
Group Exhibit, "Museo SOAVE", Codogno, Italia 2014
Group Exhibit, "Brerart" Galleria Hernandez, Milano, Italia 2014
Group Exhibit, Emotions of the World Gallery, Iran Embassy, Roma, Italia 2014
Group Exhibit, Art Monaco 2014, Emotions of the World Gallery 2014
Group Exhibit, Piacenza, Italia: Rosso Tiziano,Emotions of the World 2014
Solo Exhibit, Santa Barbara Athletic Club, Santa Barbara, CA 2011
Group Exhibit, Jellyfish Gallery,Tom Kennedy Art Auction, San Francisco, CA 2010
Solo Exhibit, Villa Castellina, Parma, Italy 2009
Solo Exhibit & Group Art Installation: Lorton Arts Foundation, Washington, D.C. 2009
Group Exhibit, Ligne Roset, Washington, D.C. April 2009
PUBLICATIONS & AWARDS:
July 2024 - “Honorable Mention” Award - Juried Exhibition “Urban Tides; A San Francisco Story, SF Ferry Building & Voss Gallery
April 2024 - Artreprenaur “Curated” Collection
April 2023 - Singulart “Best Figurative Expressionistic Artworks”
June 2021 - Montecito Journal “Montecito Moms/Artist Spread”
September 2020 - Santa Barbara Sentinel “Creative Characters”
2017 - “Featured Artist” Saatchi Art Curated Collection
May/July/August 2017 - “Featured Artist” World of Interiors Magazine
2002 “Best Editor” Award, Academy of Art University Film Festival
EDUCATION:
BFA - Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA - 2002
Fine Art & Graphic Design, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Corcoran School of Art, Washington, DC
Study Abroad - France - 1998