Common ravens (Corvus corax) are familiar birds that are found through most of the northern hemisphere. As boys my brother and I had a couple of these intellegent birds as pets, and I remember very well their curiosity and love of play. It was these recollections that inspired my invention of this scenerio, with a raven shredding my studio and destroying that very painting in progress. All of the elements with the exception of the raven actually stood before me as I worked on the piece, though I rearranged them slightly for design's sake.