The idiosyncratic vision that inspired artist Helen Martins (1897–1976) to turn her home and studio into a singular work of outsider art is the bedrock of Bethesda's bohemian identity. Martins and her assistant Koos Malgas worked for years designing and constructing the menagerie of concrete owls and other figures in the backyard. Nearly every inch of the shadowy interior is covered with colourful painted glass shards, textiles and knick-knacks, recalling the troubled figure who eventually took her own life.
Outside, local craftspeople sell replica owls. Entrance is via the tourist office on Martin St.
