Bristol Renaissance Faire 2003 Photos

Ball-walker, juggler, sleight-of-hand magician, accomplished street performer---the man behind the corvine mask is all of those things and more. He has gone a step further---the long step that separates skill from the beginnings of artistry---and melded those difficult-to-acquire abilities with Imagination to create the unique, authentic persona many think of as The Raven---a dark and mystifying figure that might have just stepped out of a 16th Century Mid-Summer Faire onto the dust of St. John's Crossing.

Blurring the distinction between fantasy and reality is central to the illusionist's art. Sometimes this is accomplished by making the imaginary seem real; other times, by making the real seem imagined. While a spirit of play generally remains in the foreground, there is also an element of drama lurking in the deeper shadows. That really shouldn't surprise us. After all, just below the surface, some big questions are being posed by the illusionist: Exactly what here is actually real? Do you believe what you see? Or do you see what you believe?