Owen Smith

Owen Smith is an Associate Professor in the Illustration Program at California College of the Arts (CCA), where he has taught for 19 years and previously served as Program Chair for nine years. He holds a BA from Art Center College of Design and is a tenured faculty member.

His artistic work spans illustration, public art, and narrative visual design, with a strong foundation in 20th-century visual culture.

• Influences: WPA artists, Diego Rivera, pulp magazine covers
• Mediums: Mosaic murals, relief sculpture, editorial illustration
• Exhibitions: New York, Rome, Milan, Los Angeles, San Francisco

Smith's professional illustration clients include The New Yorker (20+ covers), Rolling Stone, Time, Esquire, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Random House. His work on Aimee Mann’s album packaging contributed to a Grammy Award win for Best Recording Package.

He has completed major public art commissions, including mosaic installations in a Brooklyn subway station and artworks for Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco, which received national recognition.

• Americans for the Arts, Best Public Art of the Year (2011)

As an educator, Owen has shaped the Illustration Program at CCA, mentoring emerging artists and integrating professional practice into the curriculum. He maintains an active artistic career, with gallery exhibitions and commissioned works nationally.

He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his family and continues to produce influential visual narratives across media.