Discover the Best Painted Owls
Exploring owl art history
Owls have long held symbolic value across cultures and over time.
Owls have been depicted in hieroglyphs in Ancient Egypt and can be seen in the Chauvet Caves of southern France.
Historically, owls were often associated with death and ill omens. It was an easy connection to make since many owls are nocturnal or crepuscular, so were only seen at night, dusk, and dawn. Owls also hung out around cemeteries, due to their high rodent populations.
However, today, especially in the West, owls are associated with wisdom and intelligence and are even seen as spiritual guides.
Below you'll find a selection of inspiring owl art prints that manifest the positive associations of these magical and mysterious birds.
Featured owl artwork
Great Horned Owls
"Your Time Will Come" hyperrealistic painting of a Great Horned Owl.
Get a print here.
Barn Owls
"Through the Leaves" painting of a Barn Owl.
Get a print here.
Burrowing Owls
"Three Little Owls" is a painting of Little Owls in a tree hollow.
Get a print here.
Eagle Owls
"The Philosopher" is a portrait of an Eagle Owl with intense orange eyes.
Get a print here.
Where to find painted owls
Online marketplaces like Etsy and Fine Art America are great places to find owl art.
Explore Etsy's collection of owl art here.
Explore Fine Art America's collection of owl paintings here.
Painting of a Little Owl by Amy Hamilton. Get a print here on Fine Art America.
Owl painting classes
Owls are rarely encountered in their natural settings, and they certainly won't hold a pose. This makes live owl painting next to impossible!
If you're looking for bird painting tutorials to create your own owl art, check out YouTube.
For example, I have several realistic owl painting tutorials.
This is painting instruction on how to paint bird eyes:
Below are a couple videos showing how to paint owl feathers:
Artist Joseph Koensgen walks viewers through painting a Snowy Owl in this video:
Lauren Elizabeth gives beginners an introduction to owl painting with this colorful step-by-step painting tutorial:
Discover more bird art
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Also be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more painting inspiration and demos.
Learn about more artists painting birds and wildlife in the articles below:
20 of the Best Living Wildlife Painters