Page 21 - the NOISE October 2013

Ravens, a collaborative piece by Cathi Borthwick and Sharon Richards, is at the Gallery In Williams during Raven Month.
her husband in the beginning but they are en- dearing and I have grown to love them. They all have a story to tell on each piece they nest on.”
“Our theme for October is Aspen,” wood turn- er Lee Hughes says. “For the past 6 weeks or so I have been turning nothing but Aspen. The wood is the inspiration. There will be a large covered bowl in the window that was suggest- ed by a friend. A flour tortilla warmer. It should hold about three dozen of the beauties!”
David Lash’s wildlife paintings complete the quartet of artists featured for the month of October. The Artists’ Gallery, 17 N. San Fran- cisco, will hold an artists’ reception during the First Friday ArtWalk on October 4 from 6PM to 9PM. FlagstaffArtistsGallery.com
An ArrAY of rAVenS
“We’re looking forward to raven Month at The Gallery in Williams,” gallery owner Kris Williams tells me. “October will feature ravens in many shapes, sizes, and media. The art- ist members at The Gallery in Williams are all working hard to create images of those dark, clever, and mysterious birds. Artists from other locales in Northern Arizona have also been in- vited to submit ravens for the month. Many of these artists have been featured before at The Gallery in Williams, and they are bring- ing ravens back for an encore. In addition to our own members, featured artists at The Gallery in Williams for October include wild- life painter David Lash, clay sculptor Claudia Schroeder, painter Sandy Thybony, metal and fabric combo Cathy Borthwick and Sha- ron Richards, fabric artist Sharon McGinnis, Native American artist Karen Clarkson, and more! Featured artists will be at The Gallery on Saturday, October 12, when we celebrate ravens with our last ArtWalk of the season from 6PM to 9PM. As always, there will be free appetizers, wine, and live music at The Gallery.”
A couple of the artists involved in the show shared a glance at what they are working on for the show. “Most of the pieces in the raven
show are painted using acrylic paints,” Ms. Thy- bony tells me about her pieces in the raven Show. “On some paintings I throw in a little collage and some oil pastels here and there. I also paint in opaque watercolors.”
I ask about the inspiration behind the pieces. “We’ve had some very spectacular monsoon storms this summer,” Ms. Thybony says. “That was on my mind and influenced my
‘Monsoonravens’series. Iamalsoworkingon a series titled, ‘The Game’s Afoot,’ where I have ravens and tic tac toe, ravens and marbles, ra- vens and games. This series was inspired by watching ravens swoop and swirl on the air currents ... just playing. ravens have been called the ‘Einsteins of the bird world.’ Some- one also described them as ‘a beak with a bird attached.’ They are intelligent, mischievous, and like to have fun! I’ve seen them playing in the clouds and sliding on their backs down a hill in the snow. I guess ultimately, for me, they represent freedom and fun. I don’t see the dark stuff when I think about them, even though I know it’s there. However, if I’d ever seen a raven pecking out the eyes of a severed head on a pike then I might have a different sense of them.”
Mr. Lash tells me about his submissions in the raven show also. “My pieces are about my connection to the people and places of Arizona. My political activism and vegetari- anism are examples of my concern for the wildlife community. Three pieces in the show that illustrate three phases of a raven’s life: Courtship, birth, and ‘earning it’s daily bread.’ The third phase ‘Earning it’s daily bread,’ was inspired by a trip in Grand Canyon on the Colo- rado river. A fellow kayaker had his stash of power bars lifted by a clever raven. No shiny object is safe around a raven!”
Mses. Borthwick and richards collaborate together on a piece called Raven’s Playground. “There are times that we start with an idea, ei-
ther because we are trying to make artwork for a themed exhibit or one of us has an idea that we would like to see in a collaborative
>> Continued on PAGe 20
thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news • october 2013 • 21