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Owls are very collectable , inspire a wide range of jewellery , pottery, clocks , decorate handbags and have even been used in bank advertisements stressing the need for the wise investment of your money .
Peter Simon
They frequently figure in necklaces as these photographs from a diverse collection clearly illustrate .
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A person who had an eclectic collection of art , pottery , fashion garments ,jewellery , perfume bottles and books was the late art historian , document researcher , and opera lover , Margaret Vine , who lived on Magnetic Island . One of her paintings , below, was of an owl by painter, sculptor and designer in stained glass, Nevil Matthews , from Ayr, Queensland .
Matthews (1930-2013) , studied under Jon Molvig and Clement Meadmore in Brisbane and in Europe . His work is in the Queensland Art Gallery and the Heide Museum of Modern Art. Awards included a gold medal at the International Exhibition of Fine Arts, Saigon l962 ; Australian Fabric Design Award, 1966.
Vine, who had worked at the National Gallery of Australia , Canberra , in 1977 wrote a book about emigre artists in Australia 1930-1960, which accompanied the exhibition , Jewellers and Jewellery : European trained, made in Australia .
She had an impressive collection of jewellery herself , much of which she gave to friends on the island and elsewhere who had helped her during her battle with cancer .
Margaret had a Clifton Pugh wombat painting which kept company with the above owl.
The base of her bed , on which there was a foam mattress, consisted of about 20 boxes of books, which I helped her sort out , resulting in more comfortable slumbering.
