The
gathering of Ravens is called “Unkindness”
The origin of
that name is associated with conspiracy. The raven is a vocal virtuoso. The
world’s largest songbird, the raven blends a unique rendition of clicks, yelps,
trills, thumps, chucks, trumpets, and rattles repeated perhaps to emphasize an
important message, but its vocal variety is what distinguishes the raven’s
language from all the animal's kingdom except Man. Some signal common dangers or
opportunities while others are mimics, such as a dripping noise, perhaps
interpretations by a raven composer as she listened to sea shells clink against
pebbles in the tide. They can hold intense conversations and also seem to
vocalize for the sheer joy of expression. Caesar Augustus owned ravens that
announced his as “our victorious commander”, the ravens in the Tower of London
have been speaking to tourists for years, and YouTube is full of videos of
speaking ravens, the most articulate of avian conversationalist.
From Gifts of the Crow by John Marzluff Ph.D., Tony Angell:
“Talking crows reveal a part of their cognitive lives. To talk, crows must be able to form and replay memories. They confront the immediate with the memory of the past. They dream. While we don’t claim that speaking crows really grasp the complexity of human language, they use our words to get what they want, which is remarkable. That a crow will learn and use a human trick reinforces the depth to which our species are intertwined. Crows manipulate, deceive, play, and converse with other species. They anticipate rewards and, to reap them, devise and carry out plans. When we overhear crows singing softly to themselves, we wonder if they derive pleasure simply by listening to the sounds they can make. So much of what we hear from crows or ravens is inexplicable. They ring like bells, drip like water, and have a precise rhythm. They sing alone or in great symphonies. Some of their noise could be music.” (Copyright 2012 Free Press)
This is a series of large Linoleum Relief prints, one and a half foot square.
Relief printmaking is the oldest form of printing and was invented by the Chinese.
Linoleum was
invented in the late 19th century and many artists prefer it to wood because it
is easier to carve.
I had assigned my printmaking students a relief print project and they had infinite reasons for their plates NOT to be finished. So I challenged them. I said I bet I can do six feet of plates over "Spring Break". I spent 15 hours on each plate and had them finished and printed during the break.
My students lost the bet.
From Gifts of the Crow by John Marzluff Ph.D., Tony Angell:
“Talking crows reveal a part of their cognitive lives. To talk, crows must be able to form and replay memories. They confront the immediate with the memory of the past. They dream. While we don’t claim that speaking crows really grasp the complexity of human language, they use our words to get what they want, which is remarkable. That a crow will learn and use a human trick reinforces the depth to which our species are intertwined. Crows manipulate, deceive, play, and converse with other species. They anticipate rewards and, to reap them, devise and carry out plans. When we overhear crows singing softly to themselves, we wonder if they derive pleasure simply by listening to the sounds they can make. So much of what we hear from crows or ravens is inexplicable. They ring like bells, drip like water, and have a precise rhythm. They sing alone or in great symphonies. Some of their noise could be music.” (Copyright 2012 Free Press)
This is a series of large Linoleum Relief prints, one and a half foot square.
Relief printmaking is the oldest form of printing and was invented by the Chinese.
A traditional woodcut is done by taking a plank
of wood or sheet of veneer, oiling the surface with linseed, and then drying.
After the wood has been seasoned the image is carved directly into the surface
with carving tools. When the image is printed a sheet of paper is laid over the
block and it is either sent through a light pressure press or it is hand rubbed
with a wooden spoon or barren. The process is repeated several times to create
an edition of the number of prints.
I had assigned my printmaking students a relief print project and they had infinite reasons for their plates NOT to be finished. So I challenged them. I said I bet I can do six feet of plates over "Spring Break". I spent 15 hours on each plate and had them finished and printed during the break.
My students lost the bet.
 |
| Cutting the Linoleum plate |
 |
| one can never have enough carving tools |
 |
| three finished, and one more to go! |
These plates are handmade and hand printed. The
image is 18 inches by 18 inches and the paper size is 24 inches by 24 inches.
"Unkind Conversations", Number 1, Relief print.
18” x 18” on Thai Kaso Paper. 2014 by Larry Vienneau
"Unkind Conversations", Number 2, Relief print.
18” x 18” on Thai Kaso Paper. 2014 by Larry Vienneau
"Unkind Conversations", Number 3, Relief print.
18” x 18” on Thai Kaso Paper. 2014 by Larry Vienneau
"Unkind Conversations", Number 4, Relief print.
18” x 18” on Thai Kaso Paper. 2014 by Larry Vienneau
