Jane Mutiny and her 10 Second Crows

Jane Mutiny’s 10 Second Crow project captured 365 different images of Crows. All painted in 10 seconds over the course of a year. Each with their own personality and each completely recognisable as the bird that it was intended to be.

10 Seconds

To draw anything recognisable in 10 seconds is a feat. Not least something as commonly identifiable as the Crow. Normally known for her more fine art studio paintings as well as her street art. It was a challenge in itself. A step into the unknown where detail and time needed to be exchanged for fluidity and instinct.

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Crow

Mutiny’s fascination with Crows can be tracked back to her love of the Ted Hughes book ‘From the life and Songs of the Crow’. It was a work that he himself described as his masterpiece and Jane has a well thumbed copy of it in her studio. A series of what Jane describes as abstract and dark poems. They form a world in which “God, Adam, man and Crow are in constant battle”. A retelling of the book of Genesis she describes it as “a source of inspiration for me for 20 years”.

Looking Differently

The resulting ’10 Second Crow Project’ saw all exhibited at a space in Bethnal Green. A pure celebration of the Crow rather than the time it took to paint them. A bird much maligned and one that Jane Mutiny feels gets a bad rap. In many ways this was a chance to talk about the beauty of the bird. To celebrate it’s individuality and to reclaim a little bit of the story. “Perhaps when people see the way I paint them and the love I put into them, they may look at them differently”.

Nature

This idea of changing perceptions and raising awareness has always been a constant in Jane Mutiny’s work. Passionate about the environment and with a deep love for the natural world. Her work brings all that together along with the finished glory of the animal she has painted. Sometimes endangered sometimes, like the crow, seen everywhere. Her work is a celebration of nature in all it’s forms.

The 10 Second Crow Project was an exhibition by Jane Mutiny at Studio 159 in Bethnal Green. It ran from 24 to 26 November 2023. Photos used in this article are courtesy of Phillip Gatward.

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