Crows Ascending

During the pandemic years, Elliot Ross captured images of crows taking to the air from the roofs surrounding his apartment on Russian Hill in San Francisco, California. It became a contemplative piece of art about one of the most intelligent bird species in existence. We decided to design and publish an artist’s book-like publication, though with a normal print run of course. Only a small selection of the very best images were used for this exquisitely produced book. Crows Ascending is dedicated to the memory of Elliot’s younger brother Michael. Michael had a profound intellectual disability caused by lifelong epilepsy. He survived a severe case of Covid-19 in 2020 only to die of Parkinson’s-related pneumonia months later. It is also dedicated to the millions of others who have suffered or died in the United States – many due to government inaction – from Covid-19.

Elliot Ross was born in Chicago in 1947. He received a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1971. His work has been exhibited internationally and is in permanent collections in the United States and abroad, including those of the Center for Creative Photography, the Musée de la Photographie Charleroi, the Bibliothéque nationale de France, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. His books include the critically acclaimed Animal and Other Animals which were released by Schilt Publishing (Amsterdam). He lives in San Francisco and New York with his wife, the writer Ellen Ullman.