crows

You can't pay attention to trees without noticing the biker gang of the bird world

This past September I set out to focus my attention on the trees and some tangled deadfall that was nearby, when I went out to visit, contemplate, and observe how the light hit this tree line every early evening, for the most part, I could tune out the other things easily...the curious chipmunks, low flying planes from Pease, loud dump trucks, neighborhood dogs barking, diving nuthatches making peeping sounds...but the one thing that kept absolutely demanding my attention over and over was the biker gang of the bird world...the crows.

I just shifted my focus over to them and started sketching to satisfy their demands for attention even they didn't much comply with staying still or quiet. 

I am reminded of my Grandfather Chuck every time the crows stop by to chat.  Chuck used to "crow call" at us grandkids when he wanted our attention...once, when I was about 12 or 13 years old and shopping in a large busy mall with my teenage girlfriends...we were browsing the latest fashions in a store called "Rave" ... which was also was affectionately known in school as "the heavy metal slut store" ... and off in the distance came a "CAHHHH CAHHHHH" in this low deep loud growly voice.  Everyone in a five store radius is looking around for the source and about 30 yards away, across a huge corridor and through fifty people, and at the entrance of a shoe store, I see my grandfather looking directly at me with smirk.

He brings his hands up to his mouth to cup a hand-made megaphone and bellows out another ridiculously loud "CAHHHHH! CAHHHHH!" which is so loud that the crowd in the mall instantly quiets as the sound echoes off the tall ceilings and radiates into space and time...and as my face gets redder and I smirk uncontrollably at his lack of embarrassment, he disappears back into the store from which he came.
I never told my friends it was my Gramps, I always figured it was "our" thing that I would hold close forever​. 

CROW #1 11"X14" PAPER (8"X10" IMAGE)

Two of the charcoal crows that I sketched are available in my studio shop HERE
​or click on the images above

Be sure and stop by October's online Gallery TANGLED

click to view gallery