Blue Raven commission

Please enjoy some extra information about this moving project. It was a magical experience.........

Ziggy, my client, was one of the many people who lost everything in the Separation Creek/Wye River fires on Christmas day 2015. Ironically I had known the builder of her home, and was aware that it was clad in copper sheets. An unusual cladding choice, but one he felt would be fire resistant.......a couple of house owners later, Ziggy wasn't so lucky!

Ziggy contacted me in 2016, to ask me if I could bring some life to her two sheets of badly burnt and mangled copper that she had salvaged from her block. We spoke for some time, and immediately I felt a connection to her hilarious dry humour and her emotional story. It wasn't until mid 2017 that we caught up in person and I was given the copper to consider. The rich colours and the extra - twice burnt - malleability was very inspiring!!!

Ziggy has a passion for Ravens, so I went to work designing a worthy spirit messenger bird to represent the past emotions giving way to a more positive future......a long and challenging process, with many sketches flowing to and fro between client and artist!!!

The text and font required for the sign to go under the Raven was a much easier process. I was excited to have a client that shared my love for Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Art Nouveau) inspired font........Ziggy was considering using the words Stark Raven!!!!.......The feathers were a later addition, a creative way of using up the copper off cuts......

Rowan developed the beautiful red glass eye from my original sketches. This became one of the most attractive parts of the design, especially located in front of the Silver Birches at this time of the year.....this was a magical result, as I had not visited the site until installation day!

The patching look of the copper was done by choice, as I wanted it to look salvaged and cobbled together. Ziggy loves this as she is an avid decoupage artist.

​Ironically, the re-purposed circle that the Raven is flying across (representing the moon)  came to us during the time of this project......and was originally a fire pit frame!!!!!

The extra feathers was a creative way of ensuring that all of the large off cuts of Ziggy's precious copper went into the project!!!
Some went on the sign, while others were made into hanging mobiles for her to hang around her new home. Incidentally Zig was able to start over again in an incredible home and property deep in the Otways, far from the "slow ocean road"

During this project we had a bumper year in the studio, with many commissions, exhibitions and Christmas orders pushing Blue Raven down the list.......this was unfortunate at the time, but now after delivering and installing the piece and experiencing a much happier client than the one we first met....I truly believe the extra time was necessary in the healing process. xxxxxx

​At the time though, Ziggy's patience was weighing heavily on me.........then I had a thought of a magical gift to not only say Thank you but to also help promote her healing........ 

Feather Healing ....... this necklace contains feathers created from the salvaged copper,
copper fittings and a special Ruby Malachite crystal xxxxx (she is wearing it in the first image of this blog)
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Ziggy, it was an honour to work with you on this project.