Snowy owl

Description:	After completing an artists’ book on the Great Egret, I was looking for the next species to study, one with a similar combination of beauty, power, and grace. I discovered my next photographic subject: the snowy owl, a solitary species with the strength and courage to survive in a very harsh arctic environment. And who, despite the encroachment of civilization and climate change, is still able to endure. I immediately felt the need to document their existence for all time, as they are now an endangered species.Snowy owls live at least nine years, are monogamous, and are powerful birds of prey. They hunt in large territories in open tundra from sea level to 1000 feet. Living in Polar Regions around the world, they lay from 3 to 16 white eggs a year depending on their food supply.After four years and thousands of miles of travel in Canada and the Arctic, I was fortunate to find a 3-year old solitary female snowy owl in a frozen cornfield in northern Quebec, Canada. I named her Charlotte. She flies gracefully and silently in the stark winter environment. Her piercing yellow eyes capture warmth and sunlight and become a focus against the cool blue shadows of the snow. One of the heaviest owls, with a 5-foot wingspan, she still exhibits the graceful gentleness and powerful beauty of the Feminine.Since ancient times, the Owl has been regarded as a sacred, mystical being, whose vast mythology expresses strength, beauty, and prophetic vision. In these portraits, I have tried to capture the aura of “my” snowy owl’s mystery…the mystery of life itself.With deep respect, I thank Charlotte and wish her a long and healthy life.--Artist statement from Vamp & Tramp Booksellers website (accessed July 19, 2018).The poem, White owl flies into and out of the field by Mary Oliver is mounted to the inside top cover of the clamshell box.All photographs were taken by Terry Turrentine in Saint-Barthélamy, Quebec, Canada... were printed at Electric Works, San Francisco, USA.... The set is limited to an edition of thirty, plus three artist proofs and one handling copy. The poem, White owl flies into and out of the field from House of light by Mary Oliver, used by permission.... Box designed and made by John DeMerritt Bookbinding. Essay by Richard Long. Typography and design by Noah Lang.--Colophon.I-ART: Library has 12/30signed by the artist.
Origin:	2013
Created By:	Turrentine, Terry; Lang, Richard; Oliver, Mary
Publisher:	Santa Cruz, California : White Bird Press, 2013
Source:	http://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BookArts/id/351
Collection:	Herron Library Fine Press and Book Arts Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright
Subjects:	Turrentine, Terry. Lang, Richard. Oliver, Mary. 15 color photographs and a clamshell box

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