Art at the OVMA

I went to the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association's convention in February. Admittedly, it is called the "Midwest Veterinary Medical Convention" these days, but I have been a vet long enough that I am getting stuck in my ways.

You may recall that last year, I went to a convention in Florida, and came back with weeks of posts on the flora and fauna of the Orlando area, and even a gag post about losing my luggage. Columbus in February is not so blog-worthy, so don't expect scrub-jays and palm trees. About the best I can do for life birds is this owl from the art show, entitled "Wings, Tails, Feathers, and Scales."


Yes, this is Bubo argentalutensilis, otherwise known as the Silverware Owl.

Look at the details in his primaries:

And, how about a close-up of those talons?

Want to take this guy home? Talk to the artist - if you have a thousand bucks to spend!


If you like silverware animals but prefer mammals to birds, check out the "silver" fox.


The work and detail in these pieces was incredible, but you'd have to have a huge living room to be able to display one. And I haven't quite figured out how you'd dust it!

Spirit Williams, a wildlife artist from the Hocking Hills area, submitted this bird carved from basswood.


The sign called it a "harrier," but from across the room, it looked like a Sharp-shinned Hawk to me, so I went in for a closer look.

See any "owl-like facial discs" here?

Neither did I.

I checked out the rear end, looking for the confirming white rump patch, present in all plumages, according to "Hawks in Flight."

yeah. Not so much.

OK, maybe it is "artistic interpretation," but I draw the line when someone blows the ID. If this piece was entitled "Hawk" or "Raptor in Flight" or something, I wouldn't have been so picky.

I was less critical of these horses. Gorgeous!


Can you believe it? This is wood burning, cleverly called pyrography ("writing with fire") these days. How come my attempts at this medium merely ended up with black scorch marks and burnt fingertips?

I thought perhaps I had been transported to Florida when I saw this flamingo painting,


but came back to my senses when I saw Jim Glover's painting of a cardinal in the snow. The title of this piece was "Sitting on the Fence: Scarlet and Gray." You gotta know I would love that!

Now, that's Columbus in February!

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FYI: Jim did the drawing of the Cerulean Warbler for the OOS logo. Nice, huh?