Ravens

I am having a conversation with ravens. And chickens. Admittedly, I am primarily a source of food, but ravens are by nature wary, human shy creatures and the level of trust that they show me still leaves me feeling very privileged.  How it came about is by pure happenstance.  Several years ago my neighbour lost the bulk of her chicken flock to mink.  For an entire winter the three surviving birds cowered in my fir tree refusing to return to their coop.  When they finally ventured off their perch I started to feed them.  The poor creatures were thin and exhausted so my neighbour sent food over to help keep them alive and my relationship with the chickens began.  A new coop was built, and a new flock purchased but the birds were so used to being fed here that the relationship has continued to this day.  Fast forward to the following  summer: I've thrown some food off the porch and I begin to hear some very un-chicken like noises, almost like conversation, along with the usual sounds of birds scrabbling for food.  When I opened the door I saw the rooster along with two big gorgeous ravens.  They immediately flew off but it appeared that I had interrupted some kind of fowl party.  And that is how it started.  Over the years the wild birds have grown somewhat relaxed with my antics and inform me politely, (the male) and not so politely. (the female) when it is time to feed them.  I am, under no circumstances, allowed to photograph them, but I am allowed to feed them.. So what does this have to do with my art?  A lot!  As you can see by the content of my work I paint what I see and because of these relationships with both the wild and domestic birds I get to see not only their physical beauty but observe and appreciate the complex relationships they share with each other.  A flock shares intricate levels of  power interactions (the pecking order) but ravens who are monogamous, are similar to a couple, with all the dances and squabbles of any long term relationship.  They kiss, they fight and they are fascinating.  So welcome to my back yard.  Through my words and my art I will try to share with you what I see on a daily basis. It is definitely rural, a mixture of the wild and not so wild and it is a world I love.