Wire Art - New Project - Owl Wall Decor

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Owls are birds of the night. They are often seen as mysterious, because humans have always found night to be full of mystery and the unknown. Night and darkness usually include magic and mystery.

Night is also associated with the moon, so owls are connected to Moon Goddess, becoming a symbol of fertility (related to moon's cycles of renewal).

Through folklore, we associate owls with wisdom. Besides the intellectual wisdom, owls are also connected with the wisdom of the soul.

There are myths and legends from all over the world, from the Americas to the Far East that connect owl to wisdom and femininity.

• The owl was a symbol for Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy. According to myth, an owl sat on Athena’s blind side, so that she could see the whole truth.
• Diana, the Roman equivalent to Athena, was strongly associated with the moon, and also the owl.
• In Ancient Greece, the owl was a symbol of a higher wisdom, and it was also a guardian of the Acropolis.
• The Native American tribes saw the owl as a messenger. The Lakota tribe had an “Owl Society,” where the warriors fought primarily at night and painted dark rings around their eyes because they believed that would allow them to have an owl’s extraordinary vision.
• The ancient Europeans associated owls with fertility. If a pregnant woman heard an owl hoot, then it was believed that she would have an easy labor.
• The ancient Greeks and the Romans associated owls with the concept of wisdom, and prophecy.
• The ancient Romans thought that a feather from an owl would help you find out the secrets of a sleeping person.

Did you know?
According to some Native American cultures, every person has an animal spirit, which is determined by the time of year that you were born. The owl is the animal symbol for people born between November 23 and December 21.

... Anyways... I gathered these facts just to bring up a little attention to these superb creatures. Although owl is not my animal spirit, I am definitely attracted to it. I haven't seen an owl in ages, as I live now in a concrete jungle (New Jersey), but I clearly remember listening to owl's calls when I was a little girl, back in Romania. We used to make a wish and count the calls... if it was an even number, the wish would come true... sweet memories...

Ok. Let's get to our project. I am making a pretty large size OWL wall decor. A wire sculpture with beads. This is the head of my owl, at least the first phase! I say that because I always modify my work. You know that by now ;)

I am using various wires, from 16 ga to 24 ga, galvanized steel and silver colored copper. The eyes are some recycled beads from an old bracelet and the nose is a black tourmaline bead. I believe that black tourmaline is a powerful stone that repels bad energies, so my owl will be a protector of the house.

After securing the beads to my frame (with a thin wire), I started to do some wire wrap around the eyes, to assemble the owl's face. It's coming along alright. ;) Ohhh ... I painted two black dots on the crystals. Looks more like eyes now, right?

Next step, I made the "eyebrows" or "ears" that are such a distinctive feature of the owl. I oversize that feature... well, I am an artist, I can do whatever I want :) As you can see in the bottom photo, I decided to make a beard too!

I attached the beard to the head. I placed it under the wire work, so it gives my owl's head a multi-dimensional look. You can't really see it in the photo, but you will definitely notice it later, when the head will be attached to the body. I think it will make the head raised, not flat, you'll see!

Stay tuned, I will be back soon with the body work. You will enjoy it, I guarantee that!!!!

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