You And Me, Always and Forever ORIGINAL by Angus Gardner SOLD

You and Me Always and Forever

We’re super blessed on the farm to live within walking distance of 6 breeding pairs of Barn Owls. 

They are possibly the easiest of our native owl species to identify - the hauntingly silent flight, the predominantly white plumage and the unique top-heavy build. 

Devastatingly skilful hunters, it’s hard to comprehend that a successful breeding pair will kill around 4,000 rodents in a year! So the 6 breeding pairs here on the farm will take up to 24,000 voles, mice and rats in a single year. No wonder farmers love them! 

Whilst they are renowned for their hunting skills, they also live a truly old-fashioned dynamic when it comes to relationships. 

Barn owls pair for life and are monogamous. Only death will separate a bonded pair. The female is the child rearing partner, whilst the male is the provider. He will supply all of the food for his partner whilst she is incubating and all of the food for his partner and their young for 5 or so weeks after they have hatched. 

At this time of year, you’ll often see the usually nocturnal Barn Owls out during the day - these are almost certainly the males fulfilling their life long duty of providing food for their partner, their young and themselves. The burden is so great that they often have to hunt long into the daylight and before the sun sets. 

I wanted to celebrate this old fashioned love affair in a painting. Capturing an imagined intimate behind closed doors moment between a loving pair. I imagined a bonded barn owl couple at home, nuzzled up to each other, family portraits adorn the wall behind them, she wears a rat charm necklace given to her by her adoring forever partner. 

True love by any definition. 

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