Owl c. 1942

Hester Duany made this drawing of an owl, in an unknown year, and with unknown materials, but I'm gonna guess it's gouache or maybe watercolor. The color palette is almost entirely shades of brown, and it really gives me the feeling of looking at something made from wood. The texture of the owl is so convincing, it's as if Duany spent time carving lines into the paper. Look closely at the feathers – each one is like a tiny woven basket. Then there's the base. It's rough and bumpy. It is hard to not imagine what that carved block of wood would feel like in your hands. I love how the uniformity of mark-making suggests a methodical process, but the slight variations keep it human, keep it real. This work reminds me a bit of Joseph Yoakum. Both artists had a strong sense of pattern and an interest in depicting the natural world, but their approaches were entirely their own. This embrace of individuality and the beauty of the handmade is what makes art so exciting.