Sentinel (Melanistic Barn Owl)

My first barn owl! I adore these guys (and owls in general), and while I've long entertained the thought of painting one, it was after reading Desmond Morris's book "Owl" that I was prompted to research them. The final push came when I stumbled across a photo of a dark barn owl on Facebook, among a set that's happily being offered by the photographer as references for artists. I had no idea melanistic barn owls exist, and didn't think twice.

Reference photo thanks to Jayne Michelle.