Sister Ravena, who runs the Abbey, is the main character to emerge from the storyline of Messages from Estillyen. She first appears in Chapter Six, and is described “as more tall than short, wearing a smart black trench coat, with a wide belt tightly drawn around her waist. The tautness of the strap revealed the wearer to be more thin than thick.
“Her headdress of black and white framed a face that, even from a distance, would catch many a sculptor’s eye. Her cheekbones were so perfectly formed and placed that only upon a face of resolute beauty could they rest.”
In a vignette, such as this, only the best of lines are called upon to occupy the space. Thus, from Chapter Nine, in Message From Estillyen the following excerpt is selected. It offers a somewhat surprising peak into the world of Sister Ravena, and to a degree, the nature of the Abbey community. The chapter is titled “Framing.”
A passionate lover of art, Sister Ravena describes to character, Hollie Macbreeze, her thoughts about framing art.
“I view art as framing. By that I don’t mean something framed. I like to think of art as framing life and imagination: a piece here, a piece there. I have nothing against frames, though,” Sister Ravena said with a smile.
“For example, the painting behind you is perfectly framed. It’s called Rooster’s Call. The frame is simple, very clean. It allows the vivid image of the rooster a place to stand. It’s almost as if the proud fellow were captured and hung on the wall, where he just froze. I do expect him to crow someday—I hope not due to my denial. Really, I love that rooster.
“When you look at the painting to your left, Mary’s Face, it’s different. The painting depicts Mary gazing at her son dying on a cross. It doesn’t want a frame. It shouldn’t have a frame.”
[Page 183, Messages from Estillyen]