Watercolour owl painting by British artist Jos Haigh - 'Owling Gail

Jos Haigh was at the Great Yorkshire Show admiring this bird of prey, and was startled when she realised that the owl had silently turned three quarters of the way round to stare back at her. Being the portrait artist that she is ‘Owling Gail was created.  (In Yorkshire, it not only rains, it ‘owls!)

Wildlife artist Jos Haigh wants to tell you about the North’s best kept secret!

And what has inspired this painting of an owl, a bird which she’d never painted before.

Well, many of you know that Jos lives in Buckinghamshire, near London. She married a Yorkshireman some 30 years ago and they both have been visiting Yorkshire regularly over the years. Very regularly. For her International readers, London is in the South, and Yorkshire is in the North of the UK. Is there a great north/south divide? Well, there's a topic for another day!!!

Anyway, when they were able to, Jos and her husband bought the ancestral family home in Harrogate, and now it is their precious escape to another world. They love walking the Dales, enjoy the pubs and the beer (Landlord's), love the warm no-nonsense people! But what event had they missed over the years?  An event that happens every year! An event where a mere 35,000 people attend every day for 4 days. How then is this completely by-passed them?  What planet is Jos on, you ask?  (Many friends actually ask this constantly, ha.)

Well, it's The Great Yorkshire Show. Tarrarra. Jos actually thought it was a farmer's show for ….um…. tractors and combine harvesters, and such things. Their friends from London - who love farm animals (how???) - were super keen to attend one year, so they all agreed to go.  “So boring, we’ll be back by lunchtime”, Jos thought. Ha, they were there till very late in the evening, all having had the best best day out.

The one particular stand that stood out for Jos was the Birds of Prey Stand.  Especially one owl, who sat on its perch with its back to the audience. It refused to be distracted by the crowds.  It actually appeared to be sulking.  Jos stood by, quietly admiring its beautiful plumage, planning how she could paint those feathers, what colours she would use. Then, she suddenly realised that the owl had turned to stare at Jos, wondering possibly how tasty Jos would be!

This owl painting is adorned with beautiful swirls of patterns on its feathers, this gives a sense of texture in an elegant style. It’s eyes are extra special in complexity and depth of colour.

‘Owling Gail is painted in gentle colours of English roses – pinks and lilacs and deep red. The eyes have it, the eyes have it! Questioning, hopeful, somewhat shy.  If you are an emotional person, this painting is for you. If you are not, you need it just to balance your life.  Make it an heirloom for your children and they’ll know you’ll owlways be looking out for them.