ONE FOR THE CROW, ONE FOR THE CAW AND ONE FOR THE CLAY!!

BY KELSEY BOLLINGER

For BCUSP 140A, my project partner and I have decided to create a piece of wall art representing crow social behavior and roosting behavior. To represent this we chose two images which are very familiar to us at the University of Washington Bothell. 

At around 5 pm or so, thousands of crows come to roost. Many times during this insane display of crows on campus, they fly in and out of the trees and building roofs. I can almost hear the calls right now. Crows tend to come to the same roost at the UW-Bothell every night and groups join larger groups. This may help to exchange information, find mates, and remain safe  from predators and maybe even be warm.

On the left we have the start of our project. Four tiles of clay that we rolled out. Through this process we learned the skill of ceramics. Here you see many different portrays of the American Crow or Corvus brachyrhynchos. Not only is this representing the social nature of the Common Crow, but the roosting behavior. 

Notice the different crow behaviors being represented in our clay work. We have the representation of exchanging information (the idea of thousands of birds coming together), and other crow behaviors. However, this project has just started. 

On the right, you can see the finished wet clay piece. After our fire we plan to glaze, and paint, and then put the pieces together to create a wall display. While on the wall, it may even display the feeling of the crows high above us. 

Art and nature are natural combinations, and by using this piece of art to represent science is a great accomplishment for me and my partner in this project.