New oil painting of a barn owl in flight

I took several photographs of this barn owl a couple of years ago at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, which is just a few miles from where I live. Barn owls are beautiful birds and it was amazing to watch this one in action at close range.

When I was thinking about how to adapt the photos to create a composition for a painting I was very aware that I wanted to use the paint in a way that described the power and energy of the bird: I wanted to create a sense of drama and movement. 

I started with a purple background, which is unusual for me. I normally use an earth colour - either yellow ochre and burnt sienna or raw umber but I wanted to try something different. I also knew that I wanted a colour that I could reveal through scratching the surface (seen in the grasses at the bottom of the finished painting) so I used an acrylic base layer in purple, before moving onto the oils.

   

[Early stages of the painting]

By chance, an artist friend of mine had recently given me a tube of turquoise oil paint that she wasn't going to use (she paints in acrylics). The colour is incredibly intense so I decided that it should play a leading role in creating the drama of movement in this painting.

Thick daubs, applied with a palette knife, add to the expressive brushstrokes of the background. 

I wanted to combine a highly figurative style on the form of the barn owl with gestural and expressive mark making in the background to represent the awesome power of this beautiful creature.

The flight of the barn owl is almost completely silent. During the day they are beautiful but at night they are magnificent; a silent and powerful ghostly figure in the countryside, hunting for food. Nature at its most stunning.

These are the qualities that I wanted to capture in the painting. I hope you like it.

At the time of writing this the painting doesn't have a title. Watch this space!

Here is the finished painting:

And here is a short video, showing close ups of those palette knife marks. I hope you like it!

EDIT: The original oil painting has now sold. The title is 'Wild Spirit' and canvas prints and paper prints of this beautiful barn owl are now available!