"Odin's Eye" Raven Series (a Pyrographic painting)

Wood burning techniques are used to render the image of the ravens, grass, et al. Washes of acrylic paint are added to create the depth of colour and the image I need to present the vision.

I have always enjoyed sagas, myths, legends, fables and tales. They give light to the culture from whence they originate. They go to the heart of the intellect and creativity used to explain the existing and past world, trying to answer the questions of who we are and from whence we came. Values are often woven into the fabric of the stories and can often appear as personifications.

"Odin (Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse mythology. His name is related to óðr, meaning "mind", "excitation," "fury" or "poetry," and his role, like many of the Norse pantheon, is complex: he is god of wisdom, war, battle, and death. He is also attested as being a god of magic, poetry, prophecy, victory, and the hunt. Odin sacrificed one of his eyes at Mímir's spring in order to gain the wisdom of the ages.
Two ravens, Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Memory), acted as Odin's eye flying around Earth daily and reporting the happenings of the world to Odin in Valhalla at night."
(http://en.wikipedia.org)

And thus this work "Odin's Eye."

As you have seen to date, in my Raven Series of pyrographic paintings, I try to depict some of the characteristics attributed to Corvidae family: strength, mystery, elegance, beauty, intelligence, playfulness, ingenuity. As well I try to address their complex social organization and, now, their places in the mythology of other lands and cultures.