Painter of landscape, still life and semi-abstract works, influences including Cézanne, Braque and Ceri Richards; poet and teacher. Owens was born and lived at Mynachlog-ddu, Pembrokeshire. Studied at Ysgol y Preseli, in Crymych, under Aneurin Jones, 1967–74; Dyfed College of Art, Carmarthen, 1974–5; Epsom School of Art, under Leslie Worth and John Hacker, 1975–8; and Royal Academy Schools, with Leonard McComb and Roderic Barrett, 1978–80. From 1983, Owens became a part-time tutor of Welsh to incomers. In 1986, he began writing poetry in cynghannedd, Welsh strict metre, winning at the National Eisteddfod on several occasions from 1991, also being commissioned to write poems, including one in 1992 welcoming the Gwyl Cerdd Dant to Dyffryn Taf 1993, a festival of Welsh traditional music.