Margot McMahon Hawai’ian Owl (Pueo) (2024)

Margot McMahon
Hawai’ian Owl (Pueo) (2024)
Technique Mixte Oil on Canvas
7” X 9”
$1,750

Hawaii’s Indigenous Endangered Birds
During a family vacation to Oahu in 2021, McMahon sketched endangered birds indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands. Returning to her studio, McMahon painted the birds through her Technique Mixte process. When the fires broke out in Maui in 2023, her painted birds took on special meaning as symbolic indicators of our earth’s fragile ecosystems. Her series of endangered indigenous birds brings awareness to the human and environmental factors that threaten avian populations in the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawai’ian Owl (Pueo): Habitat loss and agricultural expansion reduce nesting sites. Mongoose, dog, cat, and rat predation, vehicle collision. Diseases linked to pesticide poisoning or food shortages challenge this top predator.