Crow a Day

Juvenile Crows Take a Bath

2011-06-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

I've built a cascading water feature in my yard that is designed to attract birds. There are several bathing spots and different depths. Today I watched some juvenile crows explore the water.One was less cautious than the others. You can see he has already jumped in the water. (The blur in the background is the most hesitant--he waited in the cottonwood trees for quite a while.)The first one in took a long time bathing.The next sibling was very observant.Looks like he figured it out.The two of them took a stroll down the stream bed when they finished and found a few things to snack on.Then, back up top to join the rest of the crowd and preen for a while.

Quatre Crows by Robin Kent

2011-05-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun foursome by contemporary folk artist Robin Kent. She posted a comment about one of my crow photographs (Crow Compadres) so I looked her up and discovered she has a few crows of her own.

visit her blog: RobinKentArt.blogspot.com

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Torresian Crow

2009-03-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hey! This looks like Australia! The Torresian Crow has a beautiful white eye with a fine blue eye-ring.

Crow vs Squirrel 1

2009-03-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Crow vs Squirrel 2

2009-03-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Crow vs Squirrel 3

2009-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Marjie B's Crow

2009-03-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Someone sent in a picture of an applique wall hanging featuring crows. Thanks, Marjie B!

Pretty Girl, an American Crow in Venice (California)

2009-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Got 20? (minutes, that is) If you do and you want to know what it would feel like to have a female crow adopt you, check out the video I've posted at our sister blog:

http://crowcentric.blogspot.com/

You'll be entranced and enthralled AND you'll get a big crow fix.
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Crow Knee

2009-03-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

A very nice X-ray Technician named Peggy took this lovely picture of my knees today. We were all amazed to find out that while some people have crows' feet, I unfortunately have Crow Knee.

Huffed and Puffed Crow

2009-03-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Crow Compadres

2009-03-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Black Bird #1

2009-03-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Black Bird #2

2009-03-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Bouncy Crow

2009-03-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Time (detail) Crow

2009-03-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Smile Diver

2009-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

This photo, like most of my photos, is a just a bit out of focus. In spite of it, there's enough of a reflection on the corvid's eye to bring it to life. And, I swear, if a crow could smile, this one is.

Corvid Spotted on Subway in Germany

2009-03-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

An outstanding wildlife photographer I know was recently in Munich, Germany. He sent today's picture--an ad on the subway. Thanks, Rick Davitt!

I wonder what this ad was about?

Red Bowing Crow

2009-03-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is another of my templates. This is one of my favorites as it broadcasts a message that the crow wasn't intending at all, but which connects with humans instantly.

Mayan Crow

2009-03-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

I bought this little (yep--it can slide on the end of my pinky) crow today in a charming shop in Eagle Rock called Regeneration. The owner picked this little crow up on one of her recent trips and she told me the man she purchased it from swore it was Mayan. What a great find!

Talking Crows

2009-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here, thanks to Photoshop, are both sides of a Mylar template used in oil-based ink monotype work. Sometimes I find the residual ink is so interesting that I just let it dry and tack it up on the wall. Since I use the templates over and over, the many layers of ink from different printing sessions adds an interesting dimension.

Sprite Crows in India

2009-02-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hurray for the ad firm in India that came up with this commercial based on the intelligence of crows.

Crow Crust 3

2009-02-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Crow Crust 2

2009-02-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Crow Crust 1

2009-02-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Crow Siblings

2009-02-23T00:01:00.001-08:00

Street Smart Crows

2009-02-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

Crows adapt very nicely to the urban and suburban environment. Keeping their poses, but changing every other visual bit of information presents a different picture. This is a detail from one of my paintings, Street Smart.

Button-eyed Crow

2009-02-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

You can turn yourself (or any lovely crow you have a photo of) into a button-eyed beauty at www.Coraline.com.

Bean Twist Crow

2009-02-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

Bundled Wire Crow

2009-02-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Butch and Sundance: Wild Crows of the West

2009-02-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Collage Crow

2009-02-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Polka Dot Crow

2009-02-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hieroglyphic Crow

2009-02-15T00:01:00.001-08:00

Valentine Crow

2009-02-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Pecan in the Parking Lot

2009-02-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

So I got to my apppointment early and pulled in the Target parking lot to figure out the hands-free phone contraption in the car. A lone crow was cruising for something to eat. It has been raining a lot lately, so all the birds come out during the dry periods and look for food. In the suburbs, of course, where better for a crow to search than parking lots.

Always prepared for corvid contact, I had a bag of pecans handy. I got out of the car with the bag and krinkled it up so it would make that good "food is in this kind of bag" noise. The crow was immediately alerted. Paused. Watched. Waited. I dropped a few nuts, lightly broke the shell and retreated to the car. I'll have to start carrying a better camera than the iPhone has if I'm going to keep this up.

Nobody Flocks With Randy

2009-02-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Got this in the mail, from Michele Jamison, who tells me "there's a Crow Bar in Shoshone, CA...just south of Death Valley."

Birdlime Blush Crow

2009-02-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

22 Crow

2009-02-10T00:01:00.001-08:00

Detail Crow #2

2009-02-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

An attentive American Crow. Detail from my painting, Silent Discussion.

Crow Above the Traffic

2009-02-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

I've been taking lots of photographs of clouds lately, since we've actually had some for a change. Found an American Crow, too.

Crow in Charge

2009-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

...and he/she seems like a crow with a definite action in mind.

Detail Crow

2009-02-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

This engaging crow is one of two in a painting of mine, Silent Discussion.

Corvid Constellation

2009-02-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is an detail from a painting of crows flying through roiling waves with flecks of foam mirroring the constellations. I love being able to show the wing feathers in such a graceful way.

Corvid Knock Down

2009-02-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

...or, you could say, how one crow gets the message across that "It's My Peanut!"

Corner Corvid

2009-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

I did a line drawing in a sketchbook once that I never finished. I liked the attitude of the bird's head. Today I cut the corner of a piece of recycled paper in the shape of the drawing. Maybe the positive section I removed will show up one day.

Zip Disk Crow

2009-02-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Well, finally. I thought I would see a crow everywhere I looked. I see faces in kitchen implements, parking meters, clouds--you name it. Surely I can spot a few corvids. Didn't. Couldn't. And then, cleaning out the computer stuff, I popped open a zip disk. I never did before and had no idea that the "disk" was this circular Mylar looking thing. A perfect beak. Anyone else spot crows in disguise? Send them in!

Corvid Lookout

2009-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

This monotype, Watcher #5, was done with a lot of layering of a water-soluble ink, Akua Kolor. One of the reasons that I love using crows to represent birds is the ease with which you can read their body language. Deliberately omitting beaks and eyes, I invite the viewer to interpret the intention of the bird. What will it do in the next second of its life? Don't you get the feeling that it depends on what YOU are going to do? Think about it. In the instant captured in this image the crow will take immediate action depending on your motion or stillness. On a larger scale, what humans do is a very large determining factor in the lives of our wild species.

Runnin' Raven

2009-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

If Corvids Were Archangels....

2009-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love downloading the camera after taking pictures of the American Crows that sometimes hang out in front of my house because images like this appear. If you don't agree with the angel idea, how about Las Vegas Showgirl Crow?

The Crow Bar Coasters

2009-01-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you've visited my Crowcentric blog (all things crow) you will have seen a posting about a pub and kitchen in Corona Del Mar, California, called The Crow Bar. I had a delightful dinner there. So I'm featuring their creative coasters as well as a lovely piece of etched stemware by Alone Larsen.

Lint Trap Crow

2009-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's the lint trap from the dryer.

Monotype with Crow

2009-01-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

Deliberation is a monotype where I have introduced patterning and symbols that are part of our cityscape along with the American Crow, also part of the city.

Thousand Dollar Corvid

2009-01-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Stencil Crow

2009-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Mesh Screen Crow

2009-01-24T00:01:00.001-08:00

Computer Crow

2009-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wire Crow

2009-01-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

We used to park our '67 Mustang on this area of the driveway. This wire image is actually about 3 feet tall.

Charcoal Crow on Sandpaper

2009-01-21T00:10:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, looking around my studio, I spotted a piece of sandpaper left over from a project. Add a charcoal stick, take advantage of the resulting powder...fun!

Inauguration Day Crow

2009-01-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

...with apologies to Shepard Fairey...and in honor of the inauguration of Barack Obama on this day. I wish the crow looked a little less stern. Maybe he's a member of the Supreme Cawrt.

Torn Paper Towel Crow

2009-01-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

This negative-space crow was challenging and fun. I nabbed a paper towel from the ladies' room at a restaurant (it's cool, isn't it?) and thought I could just "draw" the crow with water and then tear it out. Not so fast Kemo Sabe. The water just wicked throught the paper at lightening speed--well outside the desired crow outline. I had to let it dry a little and call on a pair of tweezers for edge-plucking of the outline. It was fun.

C is for Crow

2009-01-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

A few "C" stamps, an ink pad and a stencil caused this corvid to appear. One of the most BORING things I've done in a while. Even the crow looks like it's about to go to sleep.

India Ink Crow

2009-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

India Ink was one of my favorite mediums when I was a young kid. I always keep a bottle or two around. Claybord is also a versatile surface to work on so I got to do a little scratching on this crow after the ink dried.

Drizzle, right

2009-01-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Drizzle is really a diptych This is the right half.

Warm Amber Crow

2009-01-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

My sister left her pot of Warm Amber Cream here after her last visit. I was trying it out and thought, why not scoop it out in crow-shaped dabs?

Tear On Dotted Line Crow

2009-01-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

So I bought this nifty little tool at a scrapbooking store, that allows you to make a perforated line. I rolled it around the outline of a crow and then just tore it. You can see some of the little tufts left where the paper wasn't cut by the tool. Crafty crow!

Orange You Glad You're a Crow?

2009-01-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Crow Apple

2009-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Comin' At Ya Crow

2009-01-11T00:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I use templates to carry ink in monoprinting, I don't clean it when I'm finished. Can you blame me? Look how gorgeous that green crow is. I have an old piece of plastic on my rusty tables outside that I used to carry the crow. Lifting slightly to light it from the back with the sun, all the minute scratches became part of the composition.

Fence Crow

2009-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Where can you spray paint on a fence and not get arrested? In your own backyard.

Crow in the Spa

2009-01-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

I placed a clean frosted Mylar template of a crow with extended wings on the surface of the water. You can see a few air bubbles that were trapped in the body area. The Mylar blocks the sun and creates the interesting shadow you see on the seat of the spa.

Drizzle, left

2009-01-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Leaf Crow

2009-01-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

I had trimmed this bird of paradise leaf into a smaller shape for the arrangement it was in. That had ended, and on the way to the green trash with it in hand, I found some scissors and called out the crow.

Circle Crow

2009-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have long gathered random items created in factories that are undeclared symbols of our industrialized society. The corrugated cardboard circle with an off-center debossed ring just seemed to fit with the white crow.

Garden Pot Crow

2009-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

This crow was cut from the pot in the previous post. Not too easy to cut through such thick plastic. And the curve of the pot lived on in the crow.

Crow Paper Dolls

2009-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

I hadn't put the origami paper away and it looked so appetizing just sitting there. Once I cut them out, the puzzle was how to photograph them.

When Cooper, my favorite Labrador Retriever, spent the day with me, he had a blast chasing and chewing one of those large plastic pots you bring home from the nursery with a tree in it.

I was intrigued by the patterns left by his teeth on the plastic and saved it. Then I taped the Crow Paper Dolls to it. A great background, don't you think?

Chair Crow

2009-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have an old metal chair on my studio deck. I clipped one of my stencils to the back of it and photographed the shadow on the stucco.

Crow on the Roof Tile

2009-01-02T00:01:00.001-08:00

aka: Environmental Graffiti

Our roof slopes on either side of my studio deck. Warm and sunny in Southern California, so I thought, Why not try just using water through one of my stencils? The tile was so hot that it just soaked up the water. I figured I'd have to be ready quick with the camera.

The "test" left a lovely dried halo to enhance the outline and you can see one wet spot that hadn't yet been absorbed.

Reminded me of the reverse graffiti artists who use cleaning solutions through their stencils to leave their images on dirty city walls. Moose (Paul Curtis) has been cleaning the UK for about 10 years. Check it out: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here we go! Crow Number One is a little origami number.

Coming Soon.....

2008-12-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

Announcing the opening of Crow-a-Day on January 1, 2009. Watch this space for corvid comedy, artwork, etc. Submissions welcomed and acknowledged. I'm pondering the status of Ravens. I'm inclined to include them. I could have called this venture Corvid-a-Day but I am not sure how many people are aware of that word...and we'd have to open up to Jays, Nutcrackers, Rooks, Magpies, etc., and that's way too wide of a net to cast. Black Bird A Day? Nope. Blackbirds are in a whole nuther family!

Thanks to the wonderful blog, Skull-a-Day (http://skulladay.blogspot.com/)for the inspiration. I have enjoyed following that blog for a long time.

Okay, see ya Jan 1....