Ceremonial Pose - Red-crowned Crane

Tradition can sometimes become lost amidst technology. I admire tradition and traditional methods of creating things -- whether it is a barn or a work of art. I like the idea that it is the hand rather than a circuit board that accomplishes the task. I also take particular pleasure in traditional forms of art - forms that require time and the skilled hands of a craftsman. The original lithographic print is a time-honoured tradition.

"Ceremonial Pose" is an original lithograph printed in seven colours. The process of original printmaking allows me to work the way I like to -- with lots of gusto and feeling. This is a process that allows the artist to achieve an extraordinary variety of effects and textural range; it can also enhance both style and subtlety. It is a complicated process that requires the partnership and talents of both the artist and the printer.

The mating ritual of red-crowned cranes, who mate for life, is their mode of pair bonding. Here a red-crowned crane is in ceremonial pose - a ritualistic preening gesture in his repertoire of highly stylized courtship displays. Their elaborate courtship dance, which will include other ritual postures - deep bows, high leaps, stick tossing - is designed to engender devotion.