Raven Romantics

 

 

When you see ravens interacting in large groups you are probably observing a gang of juveniles who have not yet paired up. Young ravens court intensely, beginning at age six months, but they will not select a mate until they are three years old. In that time they develop and display skills that will demonstrate their suitability to be a good partner. 

 

Aerial displays are important to show off strong flying skills to potential mates. Often in courtship, two ravens will fly together, perhaps with one of the birds flying upside down.

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​Bringing food to the desired female in courtship shows that the male will be a good provider when she is dependent on him for food during nesting.  A partner will be carefully chosen, as ravens are true blue and generally mate for life.

 

Hand-painted linocut

13 x 9.5 inches

Edition of 200

 

Sizes listed are of the linocut images themselves; I leave an additional white border of paper on all sides.

 

Linocut Notes

 

 

My linocuts are printed on cotton rag paper the old-fashioned way: I carve with knives and gouges to create my imagery in slabs of linoleum. Then I roll ink over the surface, lay cotton paper on top, and crank the block through my etching press. I repeat this process for each impression in the edition, which means: If an image is in an edition of 40, I do this 40 times! After the prints dry, I generally hand-paint them, often with many layers of color, making each print a unique work of art.