This week's Substack

If you count the rook and the magpie, this is my 11th corvid. Often, I don’t know, or care, if it’s a raven or a crow although I do get asked all the time which one a piece is, especially at the craft fairs. Lately, I’ve been working with black or white birds with undertones of color. Early into this series, I relied on a bright or intense palette, now I’m interested in something more mythical than color or accuracy. Usually the birds tell me their titles, this is one of the ways I know a painting is done. Sometimes I use names from a list I keep on hand or do a bit of research, but my best work has let me know what it wanted to be called. Kafka waited until it was finished. When I checked online to be sure that the title fit, I came across references to Kafka’s Secret Raven. Several of the quotes were moving but not confirmable. This one was attributed to his diaries. “I don’t believe people exist whose inner plight resembles mine; still, it is possible for me to imagine such people but that the secret raven forever flaps about their heads as it does about mine, even to imagine that is impossible.” Fits, no? Meanwhile, since I am planning a big move this year, I’m having a studio sale in hopes of having less to ship later. Check out my website - www.maureenmccarron.com - and just ignore that cookies message. Let me know what catches your eye. We’ll negotiate. Onward.

This week's blog from my website. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My last four birds, plus the raven on my table, show a trend of black and/or white, with a lot of color underneath. The burnished gold isn't new, and there were white birds as well as black in the work for my show at The Commons in September, but this is different. The loon was finished before my cataract surgery, the other three were not. Those three are also post-election and reflect my feelings about that. We'll see how this goes, the new year, the new government, the new birds - but in the meantime Tashe Delek, a Tibetan blessing for an auspicious occasion. Good luck everybody, onward.