Phil Chadwick's Art: #2965 "Barred Owl Forest Canopy"

#2965 "Barred Owl Forest Canopy"
12 x 16 by 3/4 depth stretched canvas (inches)
Started 9:30 am Monday, July 28th, 2025

This is another image taken by my friend, John Verburg, a naturalist and terrific photographer. John provides a tremendous source of inspiration that encourages me to paint within the Singleton Studio when conditions outside are not conducive to plein air. I had just finished #2964 "Bullfrog on the Log By the Bay". Air Quality and Heat conspired to keep me inside. It was like a smoky blast furnace outside, so I grabbed another canvas and painted on.

Unusual perspectives catch my eye as they also interest my friend John Verburg. This barred owl was high in the forest canopy, gazing calmly downward at the photographer. I wanted to surround myself with the nature of the maple forest and the owl. The subject would also provide the opportunity to loosen up my brushwork.

Normally, in late July, I would have been on the Dumoine participating in CPAWS DRAW 2025, something I have tried to do since 2017. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada's only charity dedicated to the protection of public land, freshwater and ocean.CPAWS respects the sovereignty and leadership of Indigenous nations while remaining focused on conserving nature to respond to the dual crises of accelerated biodiversity loss and climate change. The vision is that at least half of the land, freshwater and ocean in Canada become permanently protected to sustain nature and people for current and future generations. Here is a link to the 157 paintings that I have completed so far in support of CPAWS. I strongly support CPAWS trying to keep the "wild" in wilderness.

Canada spends billions every year on subsidies. CPAWS reports that $5.7 billion per year is spent on subsidies that are harmful to nature. That must stop. CPAWS commissioned a new report by Dave Sawyer, "Bio-Fiscal Reform: A framework for aligning federal subsidies in Canada's natural resource sectors with global biodiversity goals" that explores how the federal government can simultaneously save money and protect nature.

It is not productive to stay perpetually distraught (even angry) at the irresponsible actions of our politicians. So I paint and stay home with a very low carbon footprint. In this case, I was enjoying the company of my Barred Owl friend thanks to John, another friend.

Barred Owls call at any time of the day and carry on interesting conversations between family members. The Barred Owl's hoot is classic and distinctive: "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?". I love these birds with their thoughtful, soulful brown eyes and brown-and-white-striped plumage. They are silent, and frequently, I do not even notice them in the forest as I walk underneath.

Barred Owls are homebodies like me. They don't migrate, and they don't even move around very much. In a study of 158 banded Barred Owls, none ever moved farther than 6 miles away from where they were initially located. Another study shows that their home range varies widely in size, up to 2000 acres in Saskatchewan.

The Great Horned Owl is the most serious predatory threat to the Barred Owl. Although the two species often live in the same areas, a Barred Owl will move to another part of its territory when a Great Horned Owl is nearby.
Pleistocene fossils of Barred Owls, at least 11,000 years old, have been dug up in Florida, Tennessee, and Ontario.
Originally a bird of the east, during the twentieth century it spread through the Pacific Northwest and southward into California. There, they are displacing and hybridizing with Spotted Owls—their slightly smaller, less aggressive cousins, which are already threatened from habitat loss.
Young Barred Owls can climb trees by grasping the bark with their bill and talons, flapping their wings, and walking their way up the trunk.
The oldest recorded Barred Owl was at least 26 years, 7 months old. It was banded in North Carolina in 1993 and caught due to injury in 2019.

Here is the pictorial summary of #2965 "Barred Owl Forest Canopy".

I typically charge into a canvas with a big brush and oils to get the sketch blocked in. Art needs to be fun. The vitality of the brushwork should also jump out at the viewer. The patron needs to feel that fun as well.