Spirit of Owl
- Kaaren Poole
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
I’ve finished my latest piece. Here’s where I was when I stopped last time:
It took just a few more additions to finish this art journal spread of a barn owl, and one of them—the text—finally revealed to me what the spread is about. I’ve called it “Spirit of Owl.”
The Text
The text was the first thing I added. This was because I thought the glow from the candles might be in front of some of it. I took care with the text and wrote it out ahead of time. Not only did that allow me to fine-tune my words, but also, knowing each part of it, I could place the phrases intentionally.
I used a white Posca pen but had to go over the lettering twice to get it opaque enough. Although I’m very fond of the Posca pens—and they work great for dots, a motif I often use—for writing, they’re not as opaque as I wish they were. But they’re the best I have, at least for now.
After the text, I added the spiraling lines of dots, once again with the Posca pen.
The Candle Glow
Then I worked on the glow from the candles, beginning with the small black wicks. I painted the glow with a wide, flat brush and white gesso. I began by painting a ring around the tip of the wick, then, without reloading the brush, continued to paint additional rings, each just outside the previous one. As I continued, the load on the brush diminished and so the painting became progressively lighter, representing diffusing light.
In places, I needed to add more gesso. When I was satisfied, I switched to transparent Golden Fluid acrylics in Hansa Yellow Light, then Cadmium Yellow Medium, and finally, touches of Pyrrole Orange, painting smaller areas as I progressed to the darker colors.
To finish the candle glow, I painted the flames white.
A Touch of Shimmer
Finally, I added a few metallic stars. I cut them from metallic foil candy wrappers then glued them on. During the process of cutting each star from a circle of foil, I ended up with a bunch of tiny triangular pieces, and I just couldn’t resist adding them—almost like large glitter—in front of the candles at the lower right. I’m really glad I added the large star drifting off the page over the owl’s head.
Spirit of Owl
Here’s the text:
The flames of light burn in your heart,
Your wings lift you,
Your bright eyes see clearly,
The stars guide your way,
The Lord keeps you.
The only thing I wish I’d done differently was to have deepened the parts of the owl further from the flames—the wing to the left, the part of the right wing next to the body, and the lower part of the body.
By the way, the arching light area at the bottom (as well as the bits on the sides and top) aren’t part of the spread. They’re the surface I laid the journal on to photograph it.
Working on this piece was an appreciated break from the last spread which had a heavy theme. I think it’s good to allow a range of moods into my journal, reflecting the range of emotions in my life, all of which and I value.
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