Bill Owens was born and raised in California. After volunteering in the Peace Corps he picked up photography and began his journey as a documentarian. While living in Livermore, California in the late 60’s, he worked as a photographer for the local newspaper. He became increasingly interested in the suburban areas that became heavily populated after WWII. Owens started photographing middle-class America and would eventually publish a best selling book, Suburbia in 1971. Suburbia is considered one of the most important photography books to date. He went on to publish three more books, Our Kind of People, Working, and Leisure, focusing on the suburbanites of America.

Owens was the recipient of the Guggenheim fellowship, which he received in 1976. He was also awarded two National Endowment for the Arts grants.

Between working commercially and on personal photographic projects, he opened one of the first microbreweries in the country. In the past two decades, his interest lies in the craft distillery business. He founded the American Distilling Institute that publishes a quarterly magazine, and an annual trade show for the craft distilling industry.

The photographs of Bill Owens are highly sought after and can be found in private and public collections as the Getty Museum, Modern Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of American Art, Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.

“I don't feel that Richie playing with guns will have a negative effect on his personality. (He already wants to be a policeman). His childhood gun-playing won't make him into a cop-shooter. By playing with guns he learns to socialize with other children. I find the neighbors who are offended by Richie's gun, either the father hunts or their kids are the first to take Richie's gun and go off and play with it.”

“I wanted Christina to learn some responsibility for cleaning her room, but it didn't work.”

“I enjoy giving a Tupperware party in my home. It gives me a chance to talk to my friends. But really, Tupperware is a homemaker's dream, you save time and money because your food keeps longer.”

“My dad thinks it's a good idea to take all the leaves off the tree and take up the yard. I think he is crazy.”

“I bought the lawn in six-foot rolls. It's easy to handle. I prepare the ground and my wife and son helped roll out the grass. In one day you have a front yard.”

“We feel most people have the wrong attitude towards sex, that it's nasty and to be done only in the dark. With us sex takes care of itself.”

“People throw away a lot of good things: clothes, toys, broken toasters, record players, and in the newer areas they throw out tables and chairs that don't fit in their new house. The ecology movement doesn’t matter. I make over $250 in coke bottles. People here can't realize there are poor people in the world. They can't think about the needs of other people.”

“This is our second annual Fourth of July block party. This year thirty-three families came for beer, barbequed chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, green salad, macaroni salad, and watermelon. After eating and drinking we staged our parade and fireworks.”

“We're really happy. Our kids are healthy, we eat good food, and we have a really nice home.”

“Our house is built with the living room in the back, so in the evening we sit out front of the garage and watch the traffic go by.”

“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...and Friday I have my hair done.”

THE PORTFOLIO

The portfolio, Bill Owens Suburbia, is printed in an edition of 15. This exhibition features Portfolio number 1, printed 2010. There are 15 photographs included in each portfolio. The photographs are gelatin silver prints, 8 x 10 inches, printed on Ilford Glossy paper. Each print is signed by Bill Owens and numbered in pencil with artist stamp (Bill Owens Suburbia Portfolio 2010) in black ink on print verso. Printed by Libby McCall.