A decorative in the folk art tradition

My original idea for this Crow was to serve as a “greeter” in my shop.  It would live on a shelf so that anyone coming through my door would glance up and to the right – and there would be a Crow, hunched down and forward, meeting your eyes with a slightly mocking gape.

I had fun carving it.  I made it my usual admixture of true-to-life features with an override of curves and pleasing form.  Also, I did something I hadn’t done in probably 20 years – I burned in some feather details.  Because I was planning to paint this bird in a single “color” – right out of the can – I wanted to add some interest.  So, I defined the edges of the more prominent feathers with my wood burner.

Burning the face was the best part.

I wound up using a finish paint I had never used on a carving before: Rustoleum Satin Black – sprayed right from the can!

This Crow does not now greet visitors to my shop.  As it turns out, most of the interesting parts of the bird were lost when it was perched on a high shelf – and thus seen from below.  It looked best when viewed from above – as on a lower shelf.  So, I shipped it off to my daughter and her husband in Berlin – where it now resides comfortably on a lower shelf in a bookcase.  It is noticed especially – and is in good company – during Emily and Folke’s annual Halloween get-togethers.