"Ghost Owl", size 7" x 7"

For the fans of my bird art out there, here’s another owl painting currently on my drawing table…owls definitely seem to be my “muse” as I never tire of painting them.  Quite simply, they fascinate me.  I had a chance to observe a barn owl and take a few reference photos at the Raptor Center in the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Queechee, VT last summer.  I’ve spent the past several weeks working out a few compositions in my head before putting a brush to paper.  The barn owl’s unique heart-shaped facial disc helps it locate prey when hunting.  It has a “ghostly” appearance when seen at night due to it’s white feathering and silent flight, resulting in the aptly named “ghost owl”, to which it is sometimes referred.  This owl’s pose of unwavering attention to something on the ground and the back-lit lighting really appealed to me.  Stay tuned for the finished painting!