Burrowing Owl–a Portrait in Fiber
As a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates I contribute to their annual auction of 12 by 12 pieces and then to the trunk show which travels around the world for 3 years. This year I got rather a late start but was pleased to see the deadline was extended to mid December.
Usually I do a portrait of a person–from my collection of photographs taken on my travels–but this time I decided to try a creature—specifically a Burrowing Owl. This photo was taken in Anahuac Wildlife Preserve near Winnie Texas. They are very tiny creatures–and this one had found a nesting spot underneath a cement slab that formerly held a feeding station for cattle. Cattle grazed nearby without any concern for the owl–and the owl did not particularly think anything of the people who drove by, stopped, and took photos—or of the cattle whose feet were quite close to the nesting spot.
So this is the photo I started with:
I translated it into fabric pieces:
I used felt as the batting for this piece–I am always trying to find a good base for my work–one that will allow dense stitching but not create wrinkles or bubbles in the top–the face–the part that sees the public.
not as accurate as I would like—and I will work on that on future pieces–
Sylvia Weir Art 