The 70's were weird.

So were the 80's, because everything blends together on a long enough timeline-- shag carpeting, everything wood panelled, awkward chairs... Except for the last 20 years, where everything has changed so fast that 2026 is completely different from 2016. But it still feels like the years themselves have no delineation, just a series of overlapping crises and a new cellphone every 6 months.

But the 70's brought with it the black velvet painting. Or the 60's, I can't quite remember. But I do know that my grandmother had one in her home, and it was some of the most disturbed art I'd ever seen without being violent. Some of them are okay, I guess, like peacocks and bowls of fruit and whatever, but my grandmother has eccentric taste. Maybe that's where I get it from?

So this barn owl, which I couldn't find a photo of me holding pre taping-it-to-an-art-board, reminded me so much of that horrible painting that I had to name it after her. And also frame it and put it on my wall. My grandmother doesn't fly, so she won't see it outside the use of occult practices, but I think she'd like it.

If you'd like to see how it went from start to finish, check out my Instagram post below. If not, you can just ogle the final result. Clicking on each will take you to the related Instagram post.