Devouring Grief

Devouring Grief

"Devouring Grief" - oil on canvas, 15 x 30 x .75 inches.  Ready to hang.  Available here, at Artfinder and at Bluethumb.


Crow, devouring grief,
grows broader feathers, wide wings,
strong to soar with hope. - MARY W. COX

Our crow family at home has welcomed back Nicola (we think he is a fledgling from an earlier season), who was shunned over this year's breeding season.  And the interloper (as we call a new crow) is being more and more tolerated by Rocky and Natasha.  The interloper doesn't have a name yet - we shall see if they let him stick around.

In the studio, this crow was waiting for a poet.  Insisting on pinks in his beak and a stark blue eye, despite my many attempts to make him fierce and monstrous.  Cox's poem arrived shortly after our Lilly departed, and just after this crow was completed.  I have goosebumps.  Her words, this painting - a little nod and nudge from the universe.  

Mary, you and the universe were in cahoots!

This piece is painted upon one of the many canvases given to me by the late Valerie Erichsen Thomson, and so is already a piece laden with the passage of time and the brevity of life.  And yet, the tilt of this crow's head - is that a knowing smile?  

Broader feathers, wide wings - oh yes.   And some big ol' feet  and long legs, please.  Now you're talking.

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The Downside of Lycanthropy is in full swing at Unlimited IPA in Portland, OR and right here on the website.  A month of monsters, werewolves and the challenges of being very​ different in the modern world.  

​Take a gander!  Add a werewolf to your own peculiar collection.  I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)

Self-Control is Eclipsed By the Moon