Pathways

Artist Statement

Why the ravens?  Corvids get a bad rap in modern Western culture as being connected to death and ill-omen.  In fact, for millennia they have been viewed in global mythologies with a better balanced appreciation.  

For examples the Haida know them as both trickster and hero, bringing light to the universe. The Norse see them as thought and memory, as helpers, way-finders and prophets.  Japan has a three-legged version connected with the sun.

Anyone privileged enough to meet ravens in the wild will be impressed with their intelligence and playfulness.  For this book I chose this image from my photos to convey the idea of the raven bringing us a useful message from anonymous to our times.