I have long loved owls, ever since visiting my grandmother’s house as a child and exploring and playing with her collection of owl art and figurines. Barn owls, in particular, are especially beautiful. I see them as sentries of the night, flying silently through the trees, seeing the world in ways that will never be revealed to mere humans. Perhaps that is why they are symbols of wisdom.

This painting is as much about the process of painting as it is about its subject, however. This painting was done with thick layers of paint, smeared and piled onto the canvas, partially with a palette knife.