¦¦¦¦—C—R—O—W—S—¦¦¦¦

Life carries on its back the gloom of death.
Death holds in its arms the glow of life.
A cool night turns into a warm day,
And the Trickster spins the wheel.

Crows are considered to be Tricksters; clever, laughing creatures who break the rules to teach us lessons. Some mythologies use them as omens of death and devastation. I used to hate crows, but I have come to see them as quite intelligent and beautiful beings, designed to transform death into life.

I created the top image in Photoshop as a study for an encaustic painting soon to be underway. I wanted the three black crows to have a stylized aura of energy, to contrast with the single red one entangled in the barbed wire.

A few days ago, a squirrel got hit by a car in front of my house. The next day, two crows showed up to attend to the carrion. I snapped a few shots through my window, and then manipulated them a bit to get the other two images seen here.

I looked at the morning
After being up all night
I looked at my haggard face
in the bathroom light
I looked out the window
And I saw that ragged soul take flight
I saw a black crow flying
In a blue sky
Oh I'm like a black crow flying
In a blue sky
- Joni Mitchell