Brown fish owl

I was attracted to the photo of the brown fish owl in Owls by Marianne Taylor because it looked different than other owls normally pictured. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to retain that quality in this painting, since the body is less narrow and more squat than it should be. What sort of repulsed me about the photo was that the lines on the body looked like little worms. Fortunately, I don't have extraordinary powers of realism with watercolor.

I probably could have put more time into layering the feathers but having already invested more time than usual, I was just eager to finish.

On a side note, I think the term "talent" is often thrown around too loosely. For instance, I have no illusions of grandeur that I'm an amazing artist; talented or just normal, I am grateful that when needed, breathing life into a work of art can be a safe place to pour your emotions and yourself.