Wise Old Owl

The chair I used for this painting happened to have ornamental owls carved into the back. Originally I considered editing them out. However, upon further research I discovered the owl to be symbolic of insight, wisdom, protectiveness, and power. Since this reinforced the King even further, I chose to keep the chair as-is.



I was quite pleased with the left-side owl when I first painted it. When I came back to it however, I decided to push the darks just a bit. Then I had to pop the lights just a little bit more. So glad I did.

I expounded on this a bit more in last piece, but I cannot say enough about braving the dark. I have always been afraid of the dark and that includes painting. But I am learning that I will only get the results I want when I push it to the limit.

Another technique that has become invaluable is that of "at least three colors". You simply cannot define form adequately without at least three colors or values. And the broader the tones the better. I went from a greenish-yellow to an orangish-red with umber and pale yellow in between.