The Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole, 8x8" Oil on Board, 2016

I was surprised to find that the oriole is part of the small blackbird family.  It is named from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of England's Lord Baltimore.  

The Oriol's Secret

Oriole, 8x8" Oil on Board, 2016

A few years ago when I would walk through our neighborhood, I noticed there Baltimore Orioles.  But we had none in our yard.  Up went an Oriole feeder and voila!  They began to appear.  This year we are fairly certain they nested in our yard because we heard their beautiful voices all day long coming from our trees.  Emily Dickenson writes in her Nature, Poem12, The Oriole's Secret.

To hear an oriole sing

May be a common thing,

Or only a divine.

It is not of the bird

Who sings the same, unheard,

As unto crowd.

The fashion of the ear

Attireth that it hear

In dun or fair.

So whether it be rune,

Or whether it be none,

Is of within;

The "tune is in the tree,"

The sceptic showeth me;

"No, sir! In thee!"

 

A Black Rainbow

A Black Rainbow, 2016  Oil on Board, 10" x 10"

I first learned of Ted Hughes book of poems, Crow, from my husband who would quote from the Lineage poem.  When I began photographing and then painting the crow, I pulled the book out.  I was intrigued by the mythology, its harshness and bleak outlook.  

The origin of Crow is well documented. In an article written in 1985¹⁹, Hughes explained:

        Crow grew out of an invitation by Leonard Baskin to make a
        book with him simply about crows. He wanted an occasion to
        add more crows to all the crows that flock through his
        sculpture, drawings, and engravings in their various
        transformations. As the protagonist of a book, a crow
        would become symbolic in any author’s hands. And a
        symbolic crow lives a legendary life. That is how Crow

        took off.

Crow Grinned

Crow Grinned, 2016, Oil on Board 10" x 10"

CROW BLACKER THAN EVER  Ted Hughes

When God, disgusted with man, 
Turned towards heaven. 
And man, disgusted with God, 
Turned towards Eve, 
Things looked like falling apart. 

But Crow . . Crow 
Crow nailed them together, 
Nailing Heaven and earth together - 

So man cried, but with God's voice. 
And God bled, but with man's blood. 

Then heaven and earth creaked at the joint 
Which became gangrenous and stank - 
A horror beyond redemption. 

The agony did not diminish. 

Man could not be man nor God God. 

The agony 

Grew. 

Crow 

Grinned 

Crying: 'This is my Creation,' 

Flying the black flag of himself. 

Crow Blacker Than Ever

Crow Blacker Than Ever,  2016, Oil on Board, 12" x 12"

The crow family is known as corvids.  They are among the smartest birds in the world capable of using tools, playing tricks, teaching each other new things, recognizing the human face and even holding funerals.  John Marzluff, a researcher at the University of Washington, has studied them for more than 35 years and made fascinating discoveries.  The most interesting is how one crow can come to recognize a human face and then spread that knowledge to other crows through voice calls.  This knowledge has been shown to be passed down through generations long after the original crow has died.  Marzluff proved this  by wearing masks and capturing (later releasing) crows.  Years later that same mask can be worn in the area and subsequent generations of crows go crazy squawking and attacking the wearer.  

Crows and Other Aves

Flying the Black Flag of Himself, Oil on Board, 12" x 12"

American crows are all black, even the legs and bill.  But the light reflects colors that appear blue, purple, gray.  When they molt the feathers can appear brownish.  This fellow is not molting.  They sometime appear squat to me with their thick neck and short, round, squared off tail, which seems to short for such a big bold guy.

Crows and Other Aves

4 Paintings, Oil on Board, 12" x 12" 

I love watching the crows come through our yard. They are so boisterous, and can show up seconds after food is tossed  on the ground.  One always comes alone sounding loudly, "food, food, food".  That scout stands strong in the trees watchful for any threat and caws, "all clear'.  When they flock their broad silhouettes are striking.  There very presence electrifies the air and seems to vibrate all around them.  

Crows are present in much folklore, myth and visual arts.  If you were to include ravens and blackbirds the list would grow.  My favorite piece of crow literature is the poem Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow by Ted Hughes.