My theme is one of shadowy emergence because of the blackness of both raven and ebony. This carving was not designed to be for a general art display; rather it is a story for one person, my wife, Darby. I carved it for her, for our Golden wedding anniversary last August. And, it is designed to highlight our personal story encompassing a few milestones over fifty years.

I chose a raven, a bird we both adore, in part, for the nesting pair we have on our land. To carve a shadow, hovering in the air, from a block of black, has been an intricate exercise. The sapphire eyes are my wife’s favourite gemstone; two sapphires to symbolize our two daughters. The gold nugget is a symbol of our trips to the Yukon, where my great grand-uncle was the ‘King’ of the 1898 Klondike gold rush. And, I read up on the Yukon Tingit First Nations stories, about how the raven brought light to the world, making my raven choice more magical.

On the Canary Island of Lanzerote, during our first year of marriage fifty years ago, Darby and I picked clear green olivine semi-precious stones from a black volcanic beach. Five now decorate the nugget, one for each decade. Darby’s passion was
dancing, so here, the Raven is in an aerial dance, as it flies to its nest: dancing for gold both literally and figuratively. Because it took most of a covid winter to create, its story encompasses much thought and time centered on our personal history.

I feel this sculpture is unique for her. I have yet to find an ebony carving of a flying raven, anywhere.