Politics and Power
20″ x 20″ Kroma painting on canvas by Raven

Ravens strut and fret their discussions on the snow.
Feathers burst over conflicts of interest.
Others stomp and fly away in disgust.

Corvid Chattering

“Sterling, I have a question for you.”

“What is it, Felix?”

“Point your beak over there. Look. In that window. What’s going on?”

“Felix, you won’t understand. She’s an artist. She’s painting on sticks. They call it an easel. She holds a stick, they call a brush. There is a little bit of fur on the end if you look closely. She drags colors around with it.”

“What? I like those bright shiny colors, but why every day?”

“Felix, why do you fly?”

“I’ve got feathers. That’s why. Open up my wings. Catch a thermal. Let the wind take me places. High places. Everything blurs into colors of light. Freedom. It’s who I am. It makes me feel alive.”

“Exactly.”

“What? Oh. Hmmmm. She has colors, brushes. Makes her feel alive. It gives her freedom.”

“You’re beginning to understand.”

“Sterling, look on the wall. It’s Herald! The artist captured Herald! He’s stuck on the wall. This is awful. I’m going in…”

“Felix, stop, you feather-duster! That’s a painting of Herald. It’s not really him. Back off Buddy. There is a lot you don’t understand.”

Polar Stare
20″ x 20″  Kroma paint on canvas by Raven
$950.
click here to contact Raven

Facing a bear is facing your fear.
It’s cold. It’s dangerous. It’s terrifying.

But you…you faced your bear
and it taught you something
about yourself you never knew.

You tamed the bear and expanded your world.
You gather strength from your tamed bear every day.
It gives you courage.

Did I paint this for you?
If so, I’m anxious to hear your story
and learn your bear’s name!

“Fortress”
40″ x 30″

She guards her cub and shoots you a warning with her eyes. He is curious and feels perfectly safe because, well, he is.

I climbed up the riverbank and feasted my eyes on remnants of cabins. They were sinking into the tundra holding onto their own story that I tried to decipher. Where should I paint? Each cabin looked more intriguing than the last.

I walked all the paths and pondered what life must have been like when the community thrived. We had only traveled seven miles down the Koyukuk River but we had journeyed back over a hundred years. Gordon Bettles had chosen this site in 1896 to establish his trading post during the gold rush. It was as far as the old riverboats could go. Airplanes forced the community to abandon this beautiful location and move upriver next to the new airstrip in the mid 1940’s.

But not everyone left until recently.

Standing in front of one of the buildings, I was told, “We came here on our snow machines and would dance all night inside this building”. The General Store in Old Bettles seemed to bow in acknowledgment. The weathered dance floor was removed but it still held onto the memories of better days. This is where I chose to plant my easel. Old bottles peeked out from the windows, weathered sheet metal and signage told it’s story. It was a perfect location to contemplate local color and paint wildly.

10″ x 14″ watercolor by Raven, USA