This raven painting was inspired by another myth. Why Raven is Black and the World Imperfect. Right now I can't find a link for the story but in short it explains the duality of all the creatures nature. Our bright side and our shadow side. This is one image that was inspired by the story and I have some others I want to paint as well. I'll post the story when I have more time. It is fairly lengthy.
Duality
11x14 oil on panel
$465 + $15 S/H
Thanks for your visit!
©2009 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.
7 comments:
Really nice painting, Deb.
Thank you Don. Your comment is much appreciated
I really like this painting... great job Deb...
Thanks so much Almuarif.
Wow! I love it! The design, the color and the metaphor. Great.
I love the painting and this is probably the story you are looking fore?
Rob Schmidt
This is a story of: “Why Raven is Black and the World Imperfect.” It is Northwest Athabascan in origin. I am going to shorten this story for the sake of ease of reading it here. Long ago before the time of mankind Raven was white. Ravens soul possessed great beauty and shone like the sun. As a creator and lover of life Raven loved to create beauty around him. White-feathered Raven loves creating beauty all around him. He laughed with great joy when seeing the beauty of his creations. But White Raven had a brother who was dark and brooding … and whatever White Raven created his dark brother would come and destroy. While Raven was painting the lovely Puffin creating something so magnificent, his Dark Brother came by and splashed the paints upon the ground tipping the paint box over and smudging the lovely creation. This dismayed the White Raven and saddened him deeply.
Each time the White Raven made a new and beautiful creature to add to earth, along came his brother and dashed his hopes and creation. He envisioned a russet colored creature with beautiful far reaching antlers, shiny hard hooves. He would be compassionate, a counselor to the world. As White Raven finished the deer and was breathing life into this lithe creature sure enough Dark Raven came by and screamed at deer in a screeching and frightening manner. Deer would forever be a frightened creature running whenever approached. It did not stop here. White Raven created a beautiful curved fish that swam with beauty and strength. While contemplating what colors he would use to paint this beautiful sinuous fish, sure enough along came Dark Raven stepping on the fish, squishing the lovely curve out of him. The fish became the flounder.
White Raven was so angered that he told his brother that if he ruined another of his creations he would kill him. Dark Raven attacked his brother in the light of the full moon one night. But he did not fare well. He killed his brother and as he lay dying his brother’s blood covered his beautiful white feathers. He was ashamed for he had always created life, not taken it. He was very sad at the loss of his brother.
As the dark blood covered him he felt a transformation taking place within. He felt the spirit of his dead brother the dark Raven enter him. Now where there had been joy and light there was sadness and grief. Raven moaned in deep sorrow. Would he ever again be able to create anything of beauty? Deeply saddened he feared that he would not be able to make Human Being … a creation that he had imagined filled with love, compassion and strength. He let his goal go as he wandered in the woods in sadness. Where there had once been love, compassion and joy there was now cunning, greediness and mischief. And Raven was not longer white. He had blue-black feathers that glistened like gems in the moonlight and sunlight alike. Raven was mostly a fine bird just like the white raven that he had been….but he had his moments when he was foolish and did wicked things that he later regretted.
He did make humans, many of them……often beautiful but equally unbeautiful as some were filled with avarice and greed. Some possessed wisdom and compassion while others were wholly self-centered wishing only to take from their brethren. Raven gave up perfecting Humans for he came to understand that like him humans were meant to be imperfect, partly good and partly evil. Raven’s descendents while clever, wily and beautiful are skittish and afraid, over indulgent and tend to be gluttons. Because of the evil nature of his brother’s spirit within and his own righteous anger Raven is now a black bird. However, Raven the transformer when flying high can often be seen with some of his lost and beautiful white plumage.
As I am a Raven this story speaks to me. But we are all like the Raven. We must each look within and face the darkness. Although change is most difficult it is something we each must do in order to attain growth and become better.
Thanks Mary! i'm so glad you like it.
And thank you anonymous - this is exactly the story. Thanks so much for posting it.
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