Owen is an artist, potter, and frequent collaborator with his partner, Jenelle Stafford, an experimental filmmaker. Owen's practice is largely process and material driven, but it runs parallel with lifelong interests in the ambiguity of experience, ecological relations, and the ethics of making a good life. He earned his BA in Anthropology and Philosophy from the University of Rochester, briefly studied ceramics at Rochester Institute of Technology, and later received his MFA in Sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute. Owen has lived and worked around the country as a cook, pastry chef, contractor, museum preparator, artist assistant, teacher, and studio technician while continuing to explore his interests in visual culture.
Owen exhibits nationally, and his work is included in both private and public collections, including the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA. He has participated in several residencies, including Red Lodge Clay Center, Starworks, the North Carolina Pottery Center, Vermont Studio Center, Iowa Ceramics and Glass Center, and also at Knox College in Galesburg, IL. Owen presented a co-lecture with Deighton Abrams, "Seeking Ethical Craft," at the 2018 NCECA, and was the recipient of an Artist Catalyst Grant from the Iowa Arts Council & NEA in 2023.