Nature's Palette, Marin Arts Council Gallery

Long-eared owl waking up to the night

I have five BW photographs in the Nature's Palette group show at the Marin Arts Council Gallery. The opening is March 11th, 6p-8p at MAC Gallery, 906 4th Street, San Rafael. The image above is one of the images I have in the show of a Long-eared Owl Triptych. Here's my artist statement for the show.


My images celebrate wildlife and are both a declaration of love for the wild and untamed as well as a lyrical reminder of what we stand to lose if we do not preserve and protect habitat for the amazing wild creatures that share the planet with us.

My focus is the wild nature in our midst where I am inspired by wild moments that are often quiet and fleeting. And when I make a photograph, it makes it possible to give shape to something that seemed unreal or dream like which allows me to share that experience through the imagery.

I see animals as individuals and members of our community. And like humans, each animal is different and has unique behavior and characteristics. With every animal I photograph it becomes a lesson in humility and respect for their wild lives. My aspiration is always the same which is to convey a sense of the animal's essence and to celebrate its life and its species.

The photographs of the Long-eared Owl are part of a larger body of work that I refer to as my "crepuscular" or ‘twilight’ series. Crepuscular refers to the activity level of certain animals during dawn and dusk. As animals are active during twilight, I photograph the hint of movement in the murky dark light as in these photographs of the Long-eared Owl waking up to the night.  Ruffling its feathers, stretching out its wings and rapidly spinning its head in all directions to each and every sound before it flies out into the night sky to begin its evening hunt for food.

A note about Long-eared Owls: They are a medium-sized woodland owl. They have prominent ear tufts and they are nocturnal. Their habitat is open woodlands, forest edges, riparian strips along rivers, hedgerows, juniper thickets, woodlots, and wooded ravines and gullies. Unlike most other Owls, during winter they may roost communally (2 to 50 Owls) in dense thickets. Communal roost sites are often used year after year.


Here is link to the show on MAC website Nature's Palette.