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Felted Grave III
Barn Owl Pellet
Felted Grave III
Collected by Colin Gibson
Westerdale, North York Moors
2026
Graphite on Lambeth Cartridge Paper
23cm x 26.3cm
Framed. Art Glass
Whilst looking for botanical specimens in the Pentlands, Marianne found a
weathered owl pellet in an old fence post. She took it home to draw it and became
entranced with the tiny bones and the matt of fur, as she drew she realised that this
was a tiny felted grave.
Fascinated by the fence post find, Marianne bought some collected owl pellets
which she weathered for a year. These pieces show the fascinating hunting cycle
and diet of Barn owls. This pellet has been pulled apart to show more of its
contents.
Marianne was amazed at the quantity of bones in each owl pellet. These drawings
show the weathering of the pellets; showing some of the animal structures encased
in the felted fur. She has always got her eyes open for delights like these from the
natural world.
About Marianne
At MOR Studio, we are continually drawn to artists whose practice feels both devotional and urgent. Marianne Hazlewood is one such voice. Surrounded by plants, she works in a state of quiet attention — fascinated, soothed and centred by their intricate structures and intimate detail. Her paintings invite us closer, asking that we reconsider what we so often overlook. In Marianne’s hands, botany is not background dressing but vital presence.
Her journey began at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, inspired by the 1987 exhibition of Rory McEwen. She later graduated from RBGE’s Diploma in Botanical Illustration with Distinction, receiving the Eve Reid Bennett Book Prize, and has since become an award-winning practitioner, including Gold at the Royal Horticultural Society London Botanical Art Show.
Marianne’s work balances scientific precision with reverence. Whether exhibiting internationally or teaching the next generation, she reminds us that plants are foundational to our ecology — and that attentive looking is, perhaps, an act of care.
