Watercolour Sawhet Owl

Sawhet Owl Watercolor Poster by ReneeFukumoto
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I haven't kept much of my own art over the years. Most of it has been sold or given away, ever since high school! One of the few pieces I've kept for myself is a watercolour painting, 21" x 13.5" in the matt, of a little Sawhet Owl. A friend from Chatham had taken the original photograph and gave me permission to paint from it. He was a Ranger at Point Pelee National Park, in Southern Ontario, and had taken the picture of this little owl on a misty day.
I first had done a pen & ink sketch of the owl and later, in 1994 I bravely ventured into watercolour. I think this painting was my third or fourth foray into watercolour. The most remarkable thing about this painting, to my mind, is the circumstances under which it was created. Our third child was a babe-in-arms at the time. He had a thrush infection (so difficult to get rid of, as I was nursing him at the time and we kept passing it back & forth - after 5 months of struggle I finally switched him to a bottle. Cleared up almost immediately and hey presto! I met this cheerful, sweet, smiley little baby boy!) and was a fussy little guy who needed to be held a lot. So, for my own sanity's sake, I painted this little owl with my baby litterally in my arms. Took a while. But it was worth it!
Though I never want to sell the original, I can at last offer reproductions. I'm pleased!