The Spirit of Trickster

Raven - In Northwest Coastal Native lore the raven is known as a trickster, curious and mischievous it often misbehaves but is never boring.

I find it interesting to look back over the journey of a painting. This one began with a photo that I took in Stanley Park, Vancouver of a crow, yes the original was just a plain ordinary crow, but crows are so common I changed it to a Raven. (artistic licence)  I had planned on staying pretty close to the photo reference, but as I worked on the background things began to change. What was supposed to be muted grays and browns turned into blues/grays and green/grays, shadowy totem poles emerged out of the mist and a creek showed itself at the bottom of the painting.  Not at all what I planned but sometimes you just have to let the painting dictate the outcome.

Can you feel the thrumming of distant drums or sense the spirits near by in this place deep in the forest?  Perhaps you can hear the Raven tells his story, but you must never forget he is known as the trickster.

The Spirit of Trickster

24" x 24" Acrylic on canvas
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Prints available click here Melodie Douglas Fine Arts

Reference photo