Transcendence
Snowy Owl
watercolor on Fabriano Artistico h/p paper
30” x 22”
SOLD
We had a few years in a row where New England was enjoying irruptions years for snowy owls. My sister and I headed up to Moonstone Beach in Rhode Island on a very cold day in December. It was alternately snowing, freezing rain, extremely windy and a fairly heavy fog. We came upon this gorgeous snowy owl hunting the dunes, staging himself on the fence posts of the dune fencing. We watched as he hunted down the beach, flying low over the beach and the dunes from post to post. We followed at a distance braving the conditions. At the far end of the beach, as he was flying low to the ground looking every bit like a flying bomber bird, he was ambushed by a hunting harrier hawk defending his territory. The hawk forced him into the dune grass and we lost track of him. We waited and watched, watched and waited. He suddenly burst out of the grass, flew very close to the windows of the first beach house (we were very jealous of the home owners!), and perched up onto a light pole. Looking out into the fog covering the ocean, he suddenly lifted his beautiful angel wings, pushed off and disappeared into the ocean mist, transcending…