Barn Owl ~ "Shadows of the Sky" ~ Pastel Lovebirds The warm reds of the

The warm reds of the tail feathers are the painting's emotional center — a flash of unexpected color on a bird most people see only as a dark shape against the sky

Two birds in flight presented a compositional challenge: each needs its own energy and integrity while sharing the frame

and each one teaches me something new about painting white

Anhingas lack the waterproofing oils that other waterbirds have — that's why they must spread their wings to dry after every dive

they are the largest herons in North America and the undisputed rulers of any shoreline they occupy

Barn Owl ~ "Shadows of the Sky" ~ Pastel Lovebirds The warm reds of theThis barn owl pastel painting is a departure from my watercolor work and one of the most striking pieces in my studio. Barn owls have a face like no other bird: that heart shaped disc, the dark eyes, the ghostly white feathers that make them look like they belong to a different world. I wanted to capture that otherworldly quality in pastel, a medium that lets me build the soft, smoky textures of owl plumage in ways watercolor doesn't. Working in