Well, I am writing my last post here, at least for my needle felt work.  I have started my own website so that I can have a more official place in the internet world as an artist.  On that page I have a portfolio where you can see my work, links to my etsy shop and facebook page, and a blog where I post updates about my current projects.  I hope you come to visit!  http://www.plainssongstudio.com/

Needle Felted Barn Owl: Reflection

This piece is called 'Reflection' and is of a Barn Owl. Felting in all of those spots took a long time! The photo that I used for inspiration is the one on the right  below. I am having trouble finding who took this photo, so if you know please leave it in the comments.

My owl has his head turning slightly to the side because I wanted it to have a bit more motion than the owl in the photo.  What do you think?  Does it seem to have movement, or is it static?  

 I like how you can see that the wing is folded in these three photos...

And finally, here you can see the back, and underside....

Needle Felted Little Owls

This next pair of owls is meant to depict two Little Owl (Athene noctua) chicks.  The name 'Little Owl' is actually the accepted common name of this species, not just a cute way to describe them, although they are very cute!

I hope I got across how cute these little guys really are.

I used multiple images of Little Owl chicks for both of these owls.  They are about 10 inches tall, so they are a bit larger than life sized.

Here he is from another angle. 

And here is the other Little Owl Chick....

And again from another angle. 

I titled the sculpture 'Vigilance' since they are both obviously looking at something far off. What do you thing that something is?  Something good, or malevolent?

Needle felt Little Owl Chicks

 I really like this photo angle, showing the space between the two.

When I first conceived of this piece I thought of it as actually three little owls on a wall in window boxes.  As it came closer to the show, and as I was working with them, I liked the dynamic of just two who were watching something from far off, instead of three.  This photo below shows how I have them displayed in the gallery.  The lighting is not the best there for photographs, but you get the idea.

Needle felted Little Owls.  This sculpture is titled 'Vigilance.'

The Sisters

This sculpture is part of the 'A Parliament of Owls' exhibition that is at the Burkholder Project until Oct. 31st.  It is based on a photo of a group of sibling Barn owls from a raptor rehabilitation center.  At first I wanted to have five owls, but after I started to make them having all five together was just too overwhelming, so I decided three owls would be better.
I also was originally going to make them more realistic, but as I worked I liked the idea that this was more a sketch, an impression, of this group of Barn Owls.  Sometimes it is important to remember that realism is not the ultimate goal, because there are other things that deserve expression as well.

Needle Felted Barn Owls, 'The Sisters'

Needle felted Barn Owls from behind

I think they look better when posed above eye level, but it was difficult to get a photo of this in the gallery.

Needle Felted Barn Owl (Sister 2)

Needle Felted Barn Owl (Sister 1)

Needle Felted Barn Owl (Sister 3)

A Parliament of Owls: Needle Felt Sculptures

I currently have an exhibition at The Burkholder Project in Lincoln, Nebraska that is entirely comprised of owls. Of course I couldn't resist and decided to call it 'A Parliament of Owls.' For those who are not in the know, there is a list of Standard collective nouns in English that is used to describe large groups of animals. One of these collective nouns is 'Parliament of Owls.' According to Wikipedia this tradition is something that goes back to the Late Middle Ages, and though it was originally considered whimsical and humorous, many of these terms are still in use today. 

Here are some photos of my own parliament. They are all needle felted from wool, over a wire armature, and have either polymer clay or resin claws, beaks, and eyes. Enjoy!