Untitled (Head)

Hilton Owen is an Australian artist based in Castlemaine, Victoria. He has held over 12 solo exhibitions of his paintings and won several art prizes as well as being selected as a finalist in numerous others. He began painting at a young age and started exhibiting shortly thereafter.

Hilton’s work focuses on the human figure and incorporates the stylisation of form, colour and structure to depict uniquely evocative images of contemporary life.

About his practice Hilton says, ‘I work with the differences and potential cross overs in figuration and abstraction, attempting to both represent and differentiate our lives in my paintings. How formal elements of a work can influence the way a viewer experiences art is of interest and importance to me, as is searching for an essence, a simplification and a summation of my chosen subject matter. Through this I work in pursuit of creativity and understanding.

My painting process involves working on each canvas without preliminary sketches or studies as this heightens my need and ability to make discoveries while working. I use photographs as references, serving primarily as a guide and foundational starting point. Working intuitively I draw up and paint over sections in a responsive way, evolving each composition, while simultaneously formulating colour combinations and working in layers until the painting is realised.’


In 2019 Hilton completed his Honours year in painting at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. Upon graduation he was chosen to represent the University in the Nino Sanciolo Art Prize, for which three students from the Honours cohort of 50 were selected. 

He is currently working towards his next solo exhibition which will be held at Brunswick Street Gallery in Melbourne in September 2021.

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