Limestone. Barn Owl Feather
Barn Owl Feather
Limestone Pebble and Mineral Paint
45mm x 75mm x 150mm
Suitable for Indoor or Outdoor
From Jane -
There are three types of owl where we live, on our small farm at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds: tawny, barn owl and occasionally, a little owl. Although owl numbers have fluctuated over the years, recently the numbers are down. However, it is still common to see a barn owl at flying above the hedgerows when out in the evening here. Their beauty never fails to catch my breath, and this carving is a small tribute to that. The ochre of this stone nods to the warm tones of the barn owl’s back, which contrasts so strongly with the ghost white of their faces and underbelly.
About Jane
Jane Cowan is an artist, carver, and quiet steward of time. Her work sits at the meeting point of hand, land, and language — where stone is not only shaped, but listened to.
With over three decades of experience, Jane’s practice is rooted in a deep and enduring relationship with material. She began her journey in conservation, working within the historic fabric of Lincoln Cathedral, where she now returns as Head of Conservation. This cyclical path — of leaving and returning — mirrors the nature of her work: attentive, reverent, and anchored in continuity.
An early introduction to carving in the 1990s led to an apprenticeship with the distinguished letter carver John Shaw. What followed was not simply a training in technique, but a lifelong dialogue with form, word, and surface. Today, her carvings carry this lineage forward — each mark considered, each letter holding weight.
Based in the Lincolnshire countryside, Jane draws deeply from the rhythms of the natural world. The slow turning of seasons, the textures of field and sky, the quiet persistence of growth and decay — all find their way into her work. Words emerge as fragments, inscriptions, offerings. They are not imposed upon the stone, but revealed through it.
