description

84 in. x 84 in., Oil on canvas. National Museum of Wildlife Art Permanent Collection (Jackson, WY). Purchased with funds generously donated by Adrienne & John Mars. Installation image courtesy of National Museum of Wildlife Art. Exhibition Provenance: Has been featured in "Exploring Wildlife" exhibit at Museum and currently on public view in Contemporary Wing. The painting will be featured as part of the forthcoming 2021 exhibit "Un/Natural Selections" highlighting contemporary work from the Permanent Collection. "Un/Natural Selections" will go on National Tour in 2022. "Caravan (Owl)", a large-scale oil painting by Peter D. Gerakaris, has landed in a prominent home at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, WY. The NMWA aims to preserve outstanding art representing wild animals. Painted in a kaleidoscopic palette, the grand scale of Caravan (Owl) evokes an American Indian shamanistic visitation. Drawing inspiration from the artist’s fascination with the North American Barred Owl and its hypnotic call, this central figure suggests a mythological creature — a presence that has been summoned through a vision. Flanking the owl are three falcon-inspired silhouettes that add to the work’s mysterious narrative. In its new home, the artwork will have the opportunity to dialogue with antiquities in the collection, while offering a contemporary lens through which audiences may contemplate our environment and the wild. Gerakaris states, “I honestly could not have dreamed of a more perfect habitat for the work.” The artist’s collage-like style speaks to what he views as contemporary culture’s fragmented relationship with the environment. He further posits, “I hope Caravan (Owl) stimulates the imagination and asks us to consider environmental issues such as wildlife conservation.”