31 Paintings in 31 Days - Day Fourteen

"Hestia at Home" - watercolor and ink on aquabord, 6" x 6"

Nearly halfway through the month-long challenge, and finally I get around to an owl.  

Owls are adored by many.  We are fortunate to have nearly 300 wooded acres behind our home, and there are evenings when an owl will decide to perch at the edge of the woods at sunset.  Perhaps this is her version of getting up early, but it is always a treat.  We can hear the owls calling across the woods at odd times day and night, and it always makes me stop whatever I'm doing in the yard and listen.

Owls make fascinating sounds, and their call carries a long distance.  One of my fondest memories of our time in Texas was an evening owl hike in a local nature preserve, where we were surrounded by owl calls while standing in the midst of the woods.   The guide had a number of owl calls recorded which he could play to entice them, and most of them responded quickly.

The owl call which intrigues me to this day is the Eastern Screech Owl.  Have you heard one?  (use this link to hear one for yourself!   http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sounds/Owl_EasternScreech_Whinny.mp3 )  This owl has a whinny like a horse!  Now what on earth could have prompted the creation of a bird who sounds like a horse?  Of course, my imajenation ran immediately to owls luring wolf packs with distressed horse sounds in the middle of nowhere.  Why would they do that, you might wonder?  Well to ride on the back of an unsuspecting wolf, of course.  Like a forest taxi service.  I have no scientific or mythological reasoning behind this, it's just what makes me smile.


So what does the owl mean for me?  The owl is a symbol of the feminine, the moon and the night.  If you work with an owl totem it is said you will be able to see and hear with others try to hide.  You will hear what is not being said and see what is hidden in the shadows.  This sounds like an awesome super power to me, especially with a teenager at home!


This piece is available.  Currently unframed.  Inquiries: imajenation@gmail.com