T.J. “Jamie” Owens Jr. was raised in Covington, LA and graduated from SLU in Visual Art and Graphic Design. After many years of working for a sign company as a designer and vinyl film cutter, Jamie started his own business, and that was when he developed the process of combining thousands of small pieces of hand-cut vinyl film scraps and placing them individually onto the artwork. As they overlap, they compliment the machine cut pieces for a richly-textured collage effect that is then sealed in a thick clear coat to protect the work. On average, each square foot of art has anywhere from 30-40 hours of work in it, depending on the detail. Jamie also includes reflective vinyl film in his works, giving the pieces a different dimension depending on the lighting conditions. He is a veteran of the Three Rivers Art Festival as well as the STAA’s community art events like Spring and Fall for Art, sitting at his easel and carefully placing tiny pieces of vinyl for the artist’s demo. With overwhelming response to his work, Jamie has found the right niche to convey ideas in this unique style and medium. Overall, his work tends to be expressionistic with hints of pop-art, surrealism and psychedelia, capturing subject matter of local renown in natural and arranged compositions. After delving into the carpentry world as well, Jamie has designed his own “floating frame” for his art. This weekend, you’ll find T.J. Owens Art at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for a premier appearance at the festival. Jamie will be there May 2, 3, 4 and 5 from 11 am to 7 pm at the Contemporary Crafts – Tent D. Signed prints and original works will be available for purchase, congratulations on the great exposure for this local artist!
