Barn Owl
created by sandra groeneveld
Object: Barn Owl Commission
Materials: Stone on Cement Board
Dimensions: 31.5" x 24"
Method: Direct with mortar
The subject of an owl was one of the options during the design phase with my clients back in October of 2018. A different animal, a "Snowshoe Hare" won the day and I proceeded to make that piece. Once the hare was completed and shipped, I was asked to create another mosaic. The Burrowing Owl initially pitched changed into a Barn Owl, since my clients are more familiar with them in their area.
This precipitated my current obsession with birds of prey. While doing research, I came across so many beautiful images and videos. A presentation by The Avian Reconditioning Center (Apopka, Florida) gave me a close-up view of not only a Barn Owl, but also an American Kestrel, a Short-tailed Hawk and an iconic American Bald Eagle. Nothing compares to seeing these magnificent creatures in person. As a result, by year's end, I will have completed a total of 4 birds of prey due to the commission of this Barn Owl. As travel introduces one to new worlds and ideas, researching an animal for an art project always leaves me wanting more. I happily turn down the side streets only to find additional opportunities to try something new.
The Barn Owl is different from the other birds I looked at since the feathers on its face are so deceiving as to its underlying shape. They actually have a very long beak. The explosion of feathers around the eyes and covering the beak is certainly the draw for my representation of this bird. I saw it as a perfect subject for a mosaic, you can follow the directions of the feathers while having fun with all those little pieces of stone.
As usual, I start with a drawing, where I put emphasis on what intrigues me the most and leave out other things to help emphasize what I want the viewer to look at. The balance of strong movement and stasis while describing volume was foremost on my mind. This owl is so perfectly suited for expressing that combination.
Close-ups & Process
01 Detail
02 Detail
03 Detail
04 This is the approved drawing and composition for the piece. It was done on an iPad Pro.
05 My standard construction: HardieBacker cement board with an aluminum frame and stainless-steel screws.
06 I tested various sources and came up with this palette. I relied more heavily on the touches of yellow travertine than I originally planned. It added a pleasant warmth.
07 After applying a thin scratchcoat of mortar, the drawing is transferred to the substrate. The transfer only contains the bare minimum of information this time, planning to rely more heavily on the original drawing for value information.
08 And we are off! All the focus, movement and power gets established here.
09 Nested in my workspace. I loved working on this piece, this kind of owl is so unique looking. Lots of direction and shape to make happen in stone.
10 Usually, I leave the eye until last. In this case however, I wanted to not only establish the darkest values, but somehow the life at the center of the vortex refused to be left empty. It seemed to want to be present and awake during the entire process.
11 Defining the outline as it fades into a suggestion of the bird's contour.
12 This new area is more about suggesting patterns and directions than explicitly delineating them.
13 I wanted the background to have no particular direction or focus. After starting, a few pieces weren't working, so out they came.
14 In the groove, marching along. I needed to have a good deal of the static background done before being able to envision exaclty how to approach the rest of the bird.
15 The implied direction of the feathers needed to have just the right amount of movement for a subtle transition into the calm of the background.
16 et voila!
17 It never gets old… a good scrub brightens up the colors in the raw marble beautifully.