Carl Grieve Building, Portland OR
Commissioned 2010 by the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) and the Portland Business Alliance
Expanding foam, urethane, wax, paint, drywall
The raven and the owl both have a strong presence in cultural mythology, associated with foresight, wisdom and intelligence. Raven is the trickster, a messenger, and bringer of light. Owl is the keeper of sacred knowledge, a harbinger of death, and the bringer of night. In many ways they are two sides of the same coin. They both show up again and again in stories we have grown up with, including Aesop’s Fables, Greek and Native American mythology, and contemporary fiction. Like the raven, we enjoy the role of the artist as trickster. We observe, steal, digest, distort, and reinterpret as we see fit. Taking these two icons and putting them together creates a new myth and gives room for a new story. But we are not telling the complete tale, but letting it unfold and be finished by the viewer.