United States
£ GBP
In this beautiful follow-up to Our Garden Birds, Our Songbirds and Our Woodland Birds, street artist Matt Sewell captures the world's most evocative bird: the owl. In his much-loved pop-art watercolours and accompanied with his whimsical descriptions, Matt Sewell expresses the individual characters of owls as never before. From tiny elf owls to huge eagle owls, from the mysterious creatures of the night to an impossibly fluffy baby owl, they are undoubtedly one of the world's most intriguing feathered friends. These wise, magical birds are otherworldly in their striking colours and stature, and it's not just birdwatchers who are obsessed.
With over 50 hand-selected, hand-painted owls, this is a delightful gift which appeals to owl lovers, bird-watching enthusiasts, children, adults and art and design fans alike.
Artist and illustrator Matt Sewell has been described as the Banksy of the bird world. Matt works in a variety of media including T-shirts, posters, interiors, sculptures and walls. He has illustrated for the Guardian and Barbour, amongst many others; painted underpasses for the RSPB; and exhibited in London, Manchester, New York, Tokyo and Paris, as well as being an avid ornithologist and regular contributor to the Caught by The River website (he also designed their logo). He lives in Shrewsbury with his partner and two children.
"In his own particular style and in similar vein to his previous publications Matt Sewell has here produced an entertaining book, this time about owls from around the world, which will appeal to just about anyone, including young and seasoned birdwatchers. With its simple, stylised, quirky and yet beautifully observed colour illustrations, it is most definitely not intended to be an identification guide. The owls may not look like the real thing, but the pen-portraits give a vivid description of the character of each one – capturing it’s essence in a few sentences by using appropriately chosen adjectives, in an easy, humorous, chatty tone. The “Witch’s tapestry of dusty moth’s wing, flaked pages from an alchemist’s compendium, lichen and moss, intricately woven together with spider’s webs and Swallow spit” conjures up an impression of the plumage of the Collared Scops Owl perfectly. And just imagine the Spotted Eagle-owl “which looks like it’s made out of delicate, crisp layers of Viennetta ice cream and 90 per cent dark chocolate drops” - brilliant! This would be a lovely gift for anyone who has an interest in owls."
- Carole Sewell, BTO book reviews
