Wisdom: Owl
2020, Acrylic on canvas 61” x 36” $2900
Owl and crow are often brought together - in fables and fairytales - by the question of how animals and birds are compatible, or compare to one another intelligence-wise (even if they dislike each other). Intelligence and wisdom are of course not the same thing, but our times are exclusively concerned with measurable intelligence, which we call knowledge. By focusing on knowledge and ignoring the countless attributes of the non-human world whose powerful capacities are for the most part unintelligible to human reasoning, humans and their reason ensure that they always come out on top.
Once an owl landed on the branch of the cedar tree outside my window, in the middle of the day, followed by a flock of crows shouting - their shrieks are rightfully called “murder” - at the top of their lungs. Did you know that the collective noun for a group of crows is a “murder,”a horde, or a mob? A group of ravens an “unkindness?” And best of all, a group of owls, which I never witnessed but wish I had, a “parliament?” The latter because the Greeks thought owls to be extremely wise. In this painting, the owl, in its wisdom, puts up with the presence of an apparently not too friendly raven mounting guard, and maybe even parliaments with him. The owl also warns the goose and the duck, who seem to seek her advice, not to commingle with the proud turkey who follows them with determination. To go back to my anecdote, the owl spent the whole day perched on that branch, barely moving, while the crows, more and more numerous, shrieked murder until sunset.