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My goal as a wildlife artist and teacher is to visually “say” as much as possible while limited to 2-dimensions. While the Barn Owl sits opposite to its relatives on the endangered species list, being abundant throughout the world, it presented a chance to explore whether anything new could be taught about it through a painting? In this montage I drew from a variety of barn owls that I had observed over the years, and began by overlaying abstract pours of acrylic with the intention of animating some of the individuals, bringing them out of the abstraction. By displaying different poses and highlighting certain features, it was my hope that viewers depart knowing more about this common bird of prey than they did before. As an art teacher I encourage my students to break away from photocopying to explore the uncertainty of creating something that makes people take that second look – or spend more than the three seconds usually allotted to each painting in a gallery walkthrough. I don’t want my artwork to be common, cliché, or a clone of a photograph. Engaging the public by offering something unique, isn’t easy, but the process is anything but boring.
