This poor barn owl and her friend have been waiting soooo long for me to finish their portrait. I think the last time I worked on this was around 2017 and at that point, all I’d finished was the drawing of the owl, the drawing of the girl, and then the collage. I remember I got to that point sometime in October and thought the girl would probably have very dark hair, as seemed consistent with the season—Halloween and all.
So what motivated me to finally finish it? Well, for one thing, I’m now in the process of finishing several pieces that I’ve started and then let languish. But also, one day last week I received a disturbing phone call from someone who is very important to me. What I really wanted to do was just go lie down on the bed for the rest of the day, shut my eyes, and hope for sleep. But instead, I sought the emotional fortitude to just go work in the studio.
That’s what I did, and it surprised me that what I chose to work on was this piece. That’s because of the girl’s face. I seldom paint or draw people, and this was clearly the most difficult piece I could have chosen to work on. For whatever reason, it went fairly smoothly and that’s just what I needed that particular afternoon.
Here’s what it looked like at the end of that painting session.
I’d thought I wanted her hair dark, but for some reason, left it pretty light at this stage.
Next, I switched to the owl and from there, the background.
In the process, her hair became darker, but not the very-dark that I'd originally envisioned.
The blues, all the washes in the background, and the few details of the white spirals came next. But I felt it still needed something more.
This past summer, I found a few feathers from our neighbors’ guinea hens and now I considered added them—found objects—to the piece. But no matter how many different positions I tried, none of them seemed right. Finally, I decided to paint a few in, and I think they’re what really gives the piece its finished look. Two are above the owl’s head, and the third is hugging the inner border above the girl’s head.
Finishing this was such a smooth process that I can hardly believe it! What I’m lacking now is a title. And that’s sort of strange, because I often have the title before I have anything else. Maybe “Between,” or “Habitat of the Heart,” or “Lacuna.” Or maybe just “The Barn Owl and Friend.”
As I worked on this piece, I noticed several times how much I rely on a few techniques—specifically, transparent washes and something I call “side-loading.” I’m toying with the idea of making a short video on them. Another project???? Hmm, I’ll have to think about that!
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