Zeus: The Starry Eyed Owl

This artwork is inspired by Zeus, a Western Screech-Owl whose starry eyes captured the hearts of people around the world. 

Though not a species found in the Appalachian mountains, his cousin, the Eastern Screech-Owl, lives here alongside other owls such as the Barred Owl, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, and the elusive Northern Saw-whet Owl, which sometimes appears in winter.

Eastern and Western Screech-Owls look strikingly similar, but can be told apart by subtle differences. Eastern Screech-Owls have a paler, greenish-yellow bill and a wider range of color morphs, including the striking reddish “rufous” phase, while Westerns usually have a darker, gray bill and lack the rufous coloring.

Zeus’s story is unforgettable. Found emaciated and blind on a porch in California, he was rescued and rehabilitated before being given a permanent home at the Wildlife Learning Center in 2012. His blindness—leaving him with only about 10% of his vision—made him non-releasable, but it also gave him a unique beauty.

 His eyes, sprinkled with white flecks like a starry night sky, earned him his name and worldwide fame. Zeus lived at the center until May 2025, when he passed away peacefully after failing health.

I like to think this little owl, who once held the cosmos in his eyes, is now flying free among the stars. The moonflowers in this piece bloom around him, their white blossoms echoing the quiet brilliance he carried in life.

While working in  my art studio at night I can hear barred owls sing "Who Cooks for you"