The Big Owl

The second version of Kawano's Big Owl print presents the same imposing subject in a variant color treatment, most likely exploring a different atmospheric condition through the choice of background and plumage tones. Where one version might place the owl against a deep indigo night sky, another might use a warm burnt sienna or olive ground to suggest autumn twilight or a forest interior. The owl's form—dominated by the large round eyes, the broad facial disc, and the layered breast feathers—provides a strong focal anchor regardless of the color context. Kawano's carving technique uses bold gouged outlines to define major forms and shorter cuts to suggest feather texture, giving the bird a sculptural quality that rewards close examination. The [washi](/glossary/washi) ground, visible in unprinted feather highlights, contributes the paper's characteristic warm tone to the overall impression and lightens the areas of highlighted plumage without the use of white ink.