Motorsport Artist Is Driven To Produce Innovative Work

When it comes to his work as a silkscreen printmaker and motorsport artist, Poplar Ridge resident Randy Owens doesn’t need any help staying on track.

Art is a passion he has nurtured since childhood, and as his skills have been refined, so has his desire to be great.

“If you work hard, your style will evolve, if you stay diligent,” he said. “Also, I find that if you use your materials right, your materials will dictate some of your style.”

His work captures not only the vibrant color and design of race cars but also the atmosphere — the throngs of fans, the checkered flags, the billboards basking in sunlight — from Baltimore to Tokyo to Monaco. And, of course, the helmeted drivers themselves, from Formula One world champions Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to IndyCar racers Michael and Marco Andretti, and family patriarch Mario Andretti, who thrived in both Formula One and IndyCar.

Owens’ interest in racing was born from his affinity for art. The races and the cars became the perfect subject material when he initially pursued printmaking in 1977.

The son of a carpenter, Owens was mostly self-taught as an artist. He wanted to be innovative; he wanted to be unique.

“When I started out, the advice that made the most sense was for artists to develop their own printmaking style,” Owens said. “You have to be able to make original prints. The galleries don’t want posters. They want original prints or paintings.”

The serigraphy, or silkscreen printing, process starts with a rough sketch and design that are used to make hand-cut stencils. Each stencil is then adhered to the screen, which has been stretched over a metal frame. Using a squeegee, Owens presses ink through the open areas of the stencil and onto the paper below. The piece is printed with the first color and left on a rack to dry.

Those steps are repeated for each color that is added. “I have to destroy the screen, clean it all, start fresh,” said Owens, who typically uses 25 to 40 screens for a single serigraph.

He estimates that he has created about 500 titles. His art has been featured in AXIS Gallery in Tokyo, the l’art et l’automobile gallery in New York City, the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, and all over the world. His paintings have graced annual motor racing calendars for Bridgestone.

Many pieces are autographed by renowned drivers, some securing the art for their own personal collections.

From 2011 to 2013, Owens was the official event merchandiser for the Grand Prix of Baltimore. Each year, he had to bid for the work, and that first year, he sold out of all supplies thanks to advice from his friends from Long Beach, California, who gave detailed reports on everything they sold — jackets, hats, T-shirts, jigsaw puzzles.

But racing is not his sole interest. He also enjoys doing serigraphs of boats, designing stained-glass windows, sailing and playing tennis.

He said there is nothing left unaccomplished, yet he would like to see more people take an interest in art.

“Back in the old days, an artist was an essential part of society,” Owens said. “Now it has become a subcultural thing. People don’t see it so much as a necessity as a curiosity.”

Find Owens’ work at stores.randyowens.com.