I paint a lot of raven and crow themed art off and on. It’s always pretty serious in nature, so with this Battle Raven Painting I stepped away from being serious.
It’s a mix of semi-expressive painting and traditional tattoo art styles.
Not a big leap for me, I’ve blended those up many times.
The raven all geared up as a boxer and ready to fight is a new thing for me though.
I’ve had a weird month and for the first time in many years I feel the mental freedom to be myself and create in ways I hadn’t even realized I’d lost.
Raven and crows are my jam, and if spirit animals exist, mine is probably a crow who sometimes thinks himself a raven.
I have also been beaten down this year really hard mentally. Deciding to fight was easy, it’s in my nature as much as art is. Just like the art, my fighting spirit was smothered as well these last few years. In a way 2025 has so far been the worst year of my life, but because I am seeing light all of a sudden, and because my art is returning, and because my spirit is returning with it…
It may in a roundabout way be a good year in the end.
Part of my journey this month is painting over older paintings. Stuff that makes no sense to me, things made for no good reason, or worse… false reasons. I don’t want to look at them. I don’t want them to exist.
This is one of those. You can see here by viewing the side that something else was once painted on this canvas.
Here is the weird part. Many of these paintings have been seen by less than a half dozen people. A bunch by only two people, and a few by only me. Never photographed, never shown, just created and put away to wait for some mystical dream life bullshit I fantasized of in my head.
They were for a someday maybe that would never really come. There are enough done for a couple full scale shows.
A lot of time, and if I decided to offer them up in shows I suppose a lot of monies worth.
I now hate them though, so they must go.
If on the off chance I become some well known artist posthumously the art historians will have a field day finding what’s underneath.
without further adieu I present to you a non serious painting which covers a serious one that will never be shared with the world. Here Is The Battle Raven Painting!
Because I know you love it I’ll tell you that you can get a framed print of it via LaidigArts.com HERE – Battle Raven Framed Print.
Or if you prefer you can get a print in various styles via Pixels/Fine Art America HERE.