Saturday, October 31, 2009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Burrowing Owl

(by Kathiesbirds 10-26-09
Acrylic on Bristolboard)

Burrowing owls live in underground burrows. While they can be seen during the day, they do most of their hunting at night. They have long legs and big eyes and make a barking sound. You will often find them standing in front of their burrows on one leg with their eyes half closed. Their spotted feathers are perfect camouflage for the mounds of soil they live in. Burrowing owls will often take over abandoned prairie dog dens and can sometimes be found in the middle of prairie dog towns.

I have to say that this is my favorite of all the paintings I did for this series. I love the way the owl came out and the birghtness and simplicity of the design. It has been a long time since I have painted and I had fun doing it.

11 comments:

Kelly said...

Oh wow!! I LOVE your Halloween pumpkins. What a great series. And...I love your birds in the paintings. They are all fantastic. Very cool.....

Anonymous said...

it's my favorite, too, kathie. happy halloween!

Bella Sinclair said...

How fun! I loved looking at your pumpkin series. Such bright colors, and the desert animals are fantastic. Plus, I learned something new with each one. Owls that live in burrows? Who knew! Happy Halloween!

Celeste said...

Kathie, I love your pictures, I am sure your grandchildren will be delighted to receive them. I can't decide which my favorite is between the bat, the humming bird and the burrowing owl - they are all so charming.
I am going to be heading down to Tuscon in a couple of weeks for a long weekend, I was wondering if you could recommend a good birding spot for me. Thanks :)

Anonymous said...

Theses are so cute, did I know you painted and took pics? Love the color and simple lines, very happy Halloween art:)

bobbie said...

It's a great painting! You did yourself proud with this series.

Deborah Godin said...

These are all terrific - you have lots of talent and humor!!

Anonymous said...

Boo back! lol

Kathie Brown said...

Kelly, I wanted to find a way to celebrate the holiday and incorporate some of my love of birds and the desert. This is what I finally came up with and I was pleased. I am so glad that you enjoyed it also!

Wren, thank you! I almost kept this one.

Bella Sinclair, thank you so much for stopping by and I am so glad you learned something from your visit!

Celeste! You know that I can recommend several! Sweetwater Wetlands comes immedialtey to mind as well as Agua Caliente Park, Lakeside Park, and Sabino Canyon. Madera Canyon is just a bit south but Reid park is right in town and ususally has tons of birds!

Bookbabie, thank you so much. Well, if you have visited here before I think you would have noticed the photography but the art work is mostly on my poetry blog and I have not done much art work lately! That's why I did this. It was a nice break from birding and blogging! Now I have to get my Christmas card done and finish a mural I started in February!

Bobbie, thank you for that wonderful compliment.

Deborah, thank you for saying so. I'm just having fun.

Abe, now you've got me laughing!

Gaelyn said...

I like this one the best. So reminds me of Wilbur, a burrowing owl where I was an animal keeper. He used to bob like a Dipper.
These painted cards are so fun, both for you and the kids.

Larry said...

AAAh-who said boo? You scared me!