This painting by Les Namingha is entitled, “Raven & Crow”.  It is part of his “Urban Polychrome series.  The paining is graphite, ink pencil and wax crayon on paper.  It is a very powerful and very dramatic painting.  The raven and crow are the top layer of design in black.  Look a bit further and there is so much painted behind them with other Hopi imagery and coloration.  Stunning!  Les says of the Urban Polychrome series:

“The concept of layering is inherent in our mortal journey. As time moves forward, our memories become layered. Some memories remain vibrant, others faint or hazy. Yet others, obscure or even hidden. Likewise, our experiences, words, works, emotions, prayers and songs build up in layers creating our existence. In turn, our societal interactions become exercises in layering. We see this in evidence with street art or graffiti writing where layers of thought and a desire to express a “proof of existence” create tapestries of color and marks. Blending, covering, harmonizing, dissonance, disappearing. This concept of layering is the idea behind Urban Polychrome and other works in the Urban Series.”