"Owl Never Forget" : Original Artwork by Karien Bredenkamp
"Owl Never Forget" : Mat Boards that Original and Limited Edition Prints get shipped in

"Owl Never Forget"

$35.00
Print Or Original?:Limited Edition Print
Quantity:
Only 24 units left

Prints: Limited edition of 25

About The Artwork:

"Owl Remember You" is a poignant piece of black and white art that explores themes of memory, wisdom, and transformation. At its center, an owl perches atop a delicate frame of sticks, its gaze watchful and knowing. Below, two origami birds hang, suspended in quiet stillness, while the owl sheds its feathers, forming a growing mountain beneath them. This whimsical black and white art piece invites contemplation on what is lost, what is remembered, and how we carry the past forward.

The owl has long been a symbol of wisdom, intuition, and the mysteries of the night. In many cultures, it is associated with knowledge beyond the physical world, often seen as a guide between spiritual realms or a messenger of unseen truths. In Greek mythology, the owl was sacred to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, while in Indigenous traditions, it is sometimes viewed as an omen, a creature that holds ancestral knowledge. In "Owl Remember You," the owl’s presence suggests the act of preserving memories, carrying the weight of the past while maintaining a watchful presence over what remains.

Origami, the art of folding paper into intricate forms, represents patience, intention, and the delicate nature of creation. The two origami birds in "Owl Remember You" evoke the idea of memories carefully crafted and preserved, yet fragile, existing in a space between the past and the present.

Feathers have deep symbolic meanings tied to freedom, transcendence, and communication with the divine. Across cultures, they are seen as messages from the spirit world, reminders of those who have passed, or symbols of ascension. In shamanic traditions, feathers represent spiritual journeys and higher knowledge. The mountain of fallen feathers in "Owl Remember You" suggests a gradual accumulation of memories—each one shed over time, yet forming something greater, a landscape shaped by moments that refuse to be forgotten.

Sticks are often associated with building, resilience, and the structure of life itself. In folklore, they are materials of transformation, used to create homes, nests, and protective spaces. They can represent both fragility and strength—easily broken, yet foundational when woven together. In this piece, the frame of sticks serves as a symbolic threshold, holding space for the memories suspended within it. It may suggest the act of constructing meaning from the fragments of the past, forming a framework that allows memories to take shape.

Together, these elements create a meditation on remembrance and the way memories evolve over time. The owl, as a keeper of wisdom, sheds its feathers, allowing them to accumulate into a mountain of the past. The origami birds represent the delicate, intentional act of preserving what was, yet their stillness contrasts with the organic movement of the feathers. The frame of sticks provides a structure for these memories, yet it, too, is temporary, a reminder that nothing remains unchanged. 

"You remember too much,
my mother said to me recently.
Why hold onto all that? And I said,
Where can I put it down?" ― Anne Carson, Glass, Irony and God

What do you see?

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