The Hidden Owl

According to mystical Judaism, thirty-six righteous people are hidden throughout the world, so we must treat everyone as if they, and we, might be one of them. Perhaps thirty-six animals are hidden to guide us, and with them comes the responsibility to protect them all. In Hebrew numerology, eighteen is an auspicious number; written with letters, it also spells “chai” or “life.”

The barn owl quilt is thirty-six by thirty-six squares or “double life.” Even while remaining attentive to the details of the owl’s existence, the pixelation here suggests that one can perceive and perhaps appreciate the bird only from a distance—the animal’s existence is a predictor of ours. This nocturnal owl lives in my neighborhood and sleeps in a hollow palm or deep within a tree canopy.