Winter Valley Raven by Constance Widen
362 Views on 06/01/2012
“Long ago, in a time before the Haida people came to be, there existed Raven, a great bird-god, the creator of the world. He was a giant, as black as night, with huge wings and keen hearing and eyesight. He was responsible for finding the sun, scattering its light around the earth and making sure it was never dark again. Once it was light enough for Raven to see, he realised there was nothing but water left from the Great Flood. This made Raven sad. So, he created islands, trees and mountains.”
HAIDA LEGEND OF RAVEN AND THE NEW HUMANS.
Second in my Series of Raven, this is a painting of a raven in the Winter when the trees were covered with hoarfrost one very cold morning. Once again I have deliberately painted Raven as a two-dimensional bird to convey his status as a deity and a portal to the cosmos. The Hazelton Mountains are found in the Bulkley Valley, British Columbia, Canada.
I have used 8.5″×11″ Daler Rowney paper with Schmincke, Sennelier and Unison pastels.
6 Features in the following Groups:
Spirit of the North America.
Raven’s Heart.
Fantastic Primitive Art.
Tuesday Afternoon.
Painters Universe Home “Best In Show” Page on 18/12/2011.
Beautiful BC.
Tags
black, british columbia, bulkley valley, canada, crow, hoarfrost, mountains, raven, snow, winter, legend, legendary bird, black bird, myth, haida legend
Comments
Hi Constance,
Looking at the thumbnail I thought this was a photo, but it is in fact a wonderfully executed painting. I love the story and the composition. Well done!!!
DIKO
Thank you for that wonderful comment Diko, the landscape is so different to that of South Africa, but it means that I am starting to become one with it :-) The indigenous legends here in Canada are beautiful and I find the ones about the Raven especially enthralling.
– Constance Widen
so lovely work
Thank you Antanas, I hope to be able to eventually paint the full beauty of this incredibly lovely land :-)
– Constance Widen
beautiful piece again constance, so lonesome and moody…xx
This is such a beautiful place Linda and I find the ravens here quite extraordinary as they appear to not feel the cold – one day it was
28 degrees Celsius and they were sitting on light poles watching the people passing below? Thank you for your lovely comment :) oxox– Constance Widen
Beautiful work and capture, Constance!!
Thank you for your kind comment Carol!
– Constance Widen
beautifully drawn scene. I like the way the pastels capture the feeling of the mountains so well. this reminds me so much of the Colorado Rockies.
What a wonderful compliment John, thank you very much! Learning to paint these mountains has been a great challenge for me as I’ve only known those on the southern tip of Africa until now :-)
– Constance Widen
You have captured the spirit of the story well in your painting. Lovely work. I find it very interesting how many people groups have a legend that has to do with a flood and a raven. In the Bible, Noah, after the flood, sends a raven out to see if the water has receded. Many remember the dove but not everyone knows of the raven. ;)
Btw, my daughter is named Raven. =)
I’m sorry for taking so long to answer, things seem to get in the way somehow! Thank you for your interesting comment, the Raven is a very powerful god in the Haida pantheon and when I see them here I can’t help holding my breath with admiration :-)
– Constance Widen
Thank you so much for this wonderful honour :-)
– Constance Widen
Congratulations on your feature, great image :)
Thank you so much for your great comment Laura!
– Constance Widen
African Art at Heart Group
6 October 2010
Mariaan thank you so much :-) Raven is everywhere here. The bird looks similar to a crow, but it is much bigger with a thicker beak, and it withstands the freezing cold seemingly untroubled by it?
– Constance Widen
Lovely legend to go with the beautiful painting. Wonderful work!
The legends are really fascinating. I’ve done about five incorporating the landscape with Raven’s mythology and have almost finished another. The problem is that I only have two hands and I’m determined to finish the alphabet now that I’ve got this far :) Thank you for your really lovely comment! oxox
– Constance Widen