The raven

The raven is a canny clever bird. he is beautiful with black feathers that give a blue sheen in the sun. I began this painting with a siena wash and blocked in the raven and where I wanted the grassy shadows to go. Viridian and alizarin and blue made the shadows warmly intense.  I merely sketched in the raven with Fr.Ultramarine and a touch of cerulean and orange. I fell in love with ravens many years ago on a trip to Wyoming at Yellowstone. A park ranger there told us a story of two ravens who helped themselves to someone else's lunch. A motorcycle left unattended with flip top saddlebags aroused the curiosity of two ravens in the park. They opened the saddlebags and found baggged sandwiches. Working together these two bandits took turns carying off one of the sandwiches and when they deemed they had gone far enough they broke open the baggie and had lunch. I have loved ravens ever since.