THE MAGPIE, THE CROW, AND THE RAVEN diptych 5 inch x 14 inch 2019
Magpies, Crows, and Ravens are Corvids, cousins within a family. In all regions of the world, there is a wealth of myths, stories, and superstitions about these clever birds. In all these stories they are tricksters, fortune tellers, or transformational creatures. The magpie is half the size of a crow, and the crow is one-third the size of the raven. Despite the size difference, they all have similar behaviors, and they are the smartest members of the bird kingdom. I taught Art History in Beijing for a few months. Outside our classroom window, we had a steady stream of raucous but beautiful magpies. I loved watching these intelligent birds interact.
When I lived in Alaska, crows and magpies were scarce, now they are widespread in the coastal regions. One of the things I enjoyed was how the little birds bully the big birds, Magpies mob the crows, while both crows and magpies gang up on the ravens. In My print, the large Raven is being teased and annoyed by his smaller cousins.
