Test Anxiety

"Test Anxiety" is one of a series of paintings that uses the owl to explore ways of knowing. Saw-whets (Aegolius acadicus) have large heads for their small size and appear to make a variety of human-like expressions that beg for anthropomorphism. Despite their cuteness, these night hunters are fierce, from catching songbirds to frogs, and mice to insects. Their name comes from the "skiew" sound they make when alarmed which is much like the sound of a whetting or sharpening saw.