“A bespoke stainless steel European Eagle Owl sculpture with heat-tinted feathers. A powerful, life-sized garden installation for a private commission.”
The European Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is one of the world's largest and most powerful owls, a nocturnal apex predator of the European wilderness. This life-sized sculpture, commissioned for a private garden, captures the bird’s silent, imposing presence as it keeps watch from its perch.
In this piece, I utilized stainless steel to capture the intricate, layered density of the owl's plumage. Each feather was individually shaped and textured to recreate the soft yet robust appearance of the bird’s wings and breast. To achieve the deep, mottled tones of the "eagle owl," the steel was carefully heated, resulting in a range of earthy ambers and dark bronzes that provide a lifelike depth to the metallic surface.
Designed to be a permanent guardian of its garden setting, the sculpture focuses on the owl's intense, forward-facing gaze and its iconic "ear" tufts. Perched atop a natural wooden stump, the reflective and heat-tinted steel interacts beautifully with the shifting garden light, ensuring this silent hunter remains a focal point of the landscape throughout the seasons.
