A Conspiracy of Ravens (#22 on marker)

Artist: John McKinnon

About: This piece was brought about by a donation from Noreen Blake. Noreen and her husband Bob spent summers in the Haliburton Highlands for over 60 years. They watched the growth of the Haliburton School of The Arts and both took a wide range of courses throughout the years. Although Noreen would not call herself an artist, she created beautiful work in a wide variety of media throughout her life. Noreen always took an interest in the art scene in the Highlands and for a number of years served as a tour guide for the Sculpture Forest. Inspired by the donations of sculptures by individuals such as Janis Parker and Diana Ferguson, she decided it was her turn. She proposed a sculpture competition with the theme “Avian Fauna” (birds of the region). Fifty-five artists from five provinces and two states submitted 60 proposals. A jury whittled that number down to seven and Noreen made the final selection.

The jury and Noreen loved the movement of the swooping birds of John’s proposed sculpture and the unique character of each raven. The title “A Conspiracy or Ravens” inspires the question “What are they up to?”. The heads of the ravens are cast in bronze, the bodies, laser cut rolled steel. The sculpture is reinforced with a truck spring. John built the sculpture in Nelson, BC and drove it across the country on top of his Jeep.

Materials: Bronze and Steel