Two Ravens in Conversation

I've always been fascinated by Ravens, especially because of their commanding presence. My obsession went so far as pushing me to memorize Edgar Alan Poe's poem 'The Raven".

CREATING "TWO RAVENS"

The painting was inspired by a photo of two ravens fighting on top a cluster of rocks, taken on one of my travel excursions (right).

To begin the piece, I quickly laid out the composition using only 3 values - black, white and gray. I wanted to keep the image fairly monochromatic, letting the Ravens blend in and out of the background.

For the final image, I added brushwork lightly suggesting trees, leaves and the sky. On the ravens, I softened the highlights on their backs so the value was closer to that of the background. Finally, I gave weight to the foreground of rocky outcropping where the ravens are perched with heavier, darker solid brushstrokes.

I strive for an expressionistic interpretation of the image I'm wanting to capture on canvas. Would love to hear what you see in "Two Ravens", and any other thoughts you may have in the comments section.