OWEN, Bill

Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff, Arizona, Sunday, June 23, 2013 Bill Owen, Cowboy Artist January 23, 1942 – June 15, 2013 Bill Owen was born in 1942 in Gila Bend, Arizona, to a mother who was an artist and a father who had been a cowboy throughout the early 1900’s. These influences shaped his desire to be an artist and cultivated his interest in the cowboy lifestyle. Having inherited the God-given talent, it was only natural he would strive to become an artist who chronicled the lives and works of the contemporary cowboy. Bill became a member of the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America in 1973 at the age of 31, and was the Senior Active Member at the time of his passing in his 40th year as a CAA. Throughout Bill’s career his multi-faceted and self-taught talents earned him many medals and awards in Sculpture, Drawing, Watercolor and Oils at numerous shows, both here and abroad. Bill felt compelled to chronicle the lives and works of the contemporary cowboy and believed they were the true endangered species of our time. He was passionate about portraying every detail of these real people, real animals, and real happenings in real places with complete accuracy. Even though he was honored with many awards and his talents were admired and appreciated by many throughout his career, his proudest moments were realized when a cowboy looked at one of his pieces and said, “That’s exactly the way it is!” In 1989, while practicing for a rodeo, Bill survived an accident which resulted in the loss of sight in his right eye, affecting his depth perception and forcing him to give up sculpting. He never allowed himself to consider this loss a handicap, but greatly missed the medium for thirteen years; successfully resuming sculpting in 2002. For all of Bill’s artistic achievements, he was especially proud of The Arizona Cowpuncher’s Scholarship Organization, which he founded in 1995 to help finance college educations for young people of the Arizona ranching community. Bill was admired and loved by many in the art world as well as the cowboy world. But more importantly, his family loved him in a “big” way. He was their Patriarch, their rock, and the glue that held them together. His passing has left a hole in their hearts that can never be filled. The Owen home in Kirkland, Arizona where Bill lived with his wife Valerie, allowed him the pleasure of visiting nearby ranches to gather research for his artwork, which is what he was doing when he went to be with the Lord. He was on the beautiful Diamond A Ranch in Northern Arizona, enjoying more of God’s country he was so often blessed by. He was doing what he loved, surrounded by cowboys, and he was gone in the blink of an eye. Not a bad end to the beautiful life lived by Bill Owen, Cowboy Artist. There will be a service to honor Bill’s life and everlasting legacy on Saturday, June 29th at 11:00 A.M. at Lifepointe Church, 10100 E. State Route 69 in Prescott Valley, AZ. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to: The Arizona Cowpuncher's Scholarship Organization, Inc. c/o George Vensel, Treasurer PO Box 55 Patagonia, AZ 85624 www.BillOwenCA.com Hampton Funeral Home was entrusted with the arrangements.