Mr. Owl

Mr. Owl
12 X 12
2009
Acrylic on canvas board

As a young girl, I admired my much older brother, Al. Often times I mispronounced his name as “owl.” There were even a couple of paintings in my home of owls that further created this “symbol” to represent my brother. My brother struggled throughout much of his life, dealing with emotional pain from an abused and tormented upbringing. Eventually, the pain he held inside lead to him taking his life. The painting represents bondage to the emotional stress he carried. The owl represents him and is part of my fascination with chrome and reflections. It also represents his ability to shine on others despite his circumstances. He always liked to make others happy.