Denise, I like your thoughts here. This is a lovely graphic image, made possible with your closeup composition.
The only thing that bugs me a bit is the location of the eye -- it's a little too centered in the frame for me. A slightly wider shot to have more mane to the right and maybe some more of the nose below would have emphasized the eye more -- and for me close ups of faces really sing with the right emphasis on the eye(s).
I like the image a lot With that prominent eye you want it to fall in stronger position, rule of thirds really comes into play here !!! Sure like the re post !!!