James Owens was born and educated in Detroit Michigan, The Motor City, to a family that had been building cars since 1926.
After graduating with a B.A. in illustration from The Center for Creative Studies he embarked on a miss-spent youth in the advertising business. W.B. Doner, J. Walter Thompson and Campbell Ewald are just a few of the agencies for which James provided automotive illustrations.
Inspired by the illustrators of the golden era, James taught himself to oil paint, something that was not possible in the modern ad business due to short deadlines.
James makes his home in Mesa Arizona and drives a 1952 Hudson Coupe.
“Internationally recognized, his work shows in galleries from Los Angeles to Melbourne, New York to Tokyo, and has even been used in Hollywood motion pictures. His work has been featured in magazines in France, Italy, Spain and Australia as well as the U.S.”