That inner voice was strong and determined to have me paint this Barred Owl, and it was a mystery WHY the message to do owl, instead of the rocks I’d intended to paint.  It was a mystery solved when Martin saw the owl, and had to have it!  A wonderful young man, very conscientiously a conservationist like his wife.  I knew when I spoke with both of them, and felt the passion in their dedication to preserving our natural world, that I had painted this owl for them.  I thought that was the full story of owl, but I was wrong.  A dear friend was losing her beloved husband to cancer, and I awoke at 3:00 one morning with a strong message to give her husband a photograph of the OWL painting.  He loved it, and Owl found a place in his palliative care room, along with the symbolic meaning of Owl as the enlightener of darkness, the visionary that connects the physical world with the spiritual world.  Owl brought him great comfort.  Thank you Owl, and these two wonderful individuals,  for giving me such a profound gift that inspires me onward along my painting journey, and them on theirs.