Owl Collection

I think I may have an owl collection forming! Check out my recent acquisition ... I bought this lovely ceramic owl rattle from Tori Webb Pendergrass the other day when I went over to Pigment School of the Arts to sketch. I love this little fellow, he feels perfect in the hand and his colors are wonderful.

© Tori Webb Pendergrass

I will post a few more shots of other owls I own ...

This is my mantle at home ... the works on the wall do not change out much, but the 3-d objects on the ledge are always moving around as new treasures are acquired and squeezed in. The artists you see here are from top left:
Rebecca Collins, Susan Giller, Katrina Doran, Kim Wozniak, Tori Pendergrass, Jeff Soto, me again, Linda Stover, Theresa Douglas, Dave Stover,  Lola Cash.

© Linda Stover
ATC Mosaic 2.5x3.5

© Rebecca Collins
"Bubo"

© Theresa Douglas
ATC Mosaic 2.5x3.5

Ok, so instead of just a post about "my shameful art hoarding habits" I want to throw out a radical idea for other artists: no subject is too popular for you not to try ... nothing is too trendy to avoid like the plague, and you are not so very special as an artist that you can not tackle a theme or subject that has been done, and then done again.  When I was admiring the owl at Tori's school she softly said, " I know owls are hot right now, but I love them".... or she said something to that effect. I then admitted my own unashamed love for the subject of owls in art and we went on to share our personal stories of having rescued a couple of injured owls. 

 Often serious fine artists will see a popular trend in the gift industry, or on Etsy, or at craft fairs and decide that they need to stay far away from that subject to avoid being seen as producing work that is derivative or trendy. If that sort of snobbish approach in art was taken by all artists then we would have certainly abandoned the nude after Michelangelo was done with the subject because after all, what is the point? I know an artist ( Cherie Bosela), that is currently creating a clown of all things in Mosaic and it is going to be one hell of a stunning clown because everything this Mosaicist touches turns into magic.  If you are an artist reading this and you think you are too good for hearts, clowns, unicorns or owls then I say you have a very limited imagination and the world is waiting for your spin on it all so go ahead and do something really hard ...  tackle a subject that has been covered a lot and then take it to a brand new place.