Scratchboard honored with "Silver Owl" award

Since 2003 the Museum of natural history in Halberstadt presents the bi-yearly exhibition “MoVo -Modern Bird Paintings” in the Museum “Heineanum”.  An award for the best bird painter is exclaimed by the Heineanum association, after a jury by members of the museum, as well as professionals in art and ornithology have chosen it‘s favorite work among all accepted entries. The exhibition in Halberstadt and the awarding is a stand alone among national art shows in Germany.

In the year of 2013, the museum displays the work of 60 bird painters from whole Germany to the public.

Diana Höhlig, born 1985 in Zwickau, was named as the winner of the 6th exhibition. The jurors chose the winning artwork out of 130 paintings. Diana‘s work shows an European eagle owl (bubo bubo), done in scratchboard technique (size 40 x 30 cm). It is an engraving technique, where the artist uses a black inked board, containing a white clay layer underneath, to scratch very fine details with a sharp tool.  It was the first time a black-and-white work won the prestigious German award for bird painters. Furthermore, this means the first time a work in Scratchboard technique was awarded and won first place in an art show in Germany.

In his laudation, the chairman of the Heineanum association, Frank-Ulrich Schmidt praised the work for the technically perfect rendition, as well the breathtaking detailed style and the anatomically correct depiction of the bird.