Alfred is an eight-year-old king pigeon hen—yes, Alfred is very much a girl—who I long admired from afar. She came to Palomacy with two other baby pigeons, all of them found hiding under a bush in a park. For several years, Alfred and her former husbird, Pirate, were a bit Instagram-famous. I was not the only one smitten with her bold coloring, big eyes, and comic ways.
The story of how Alfred recently came to stay with me for a few days is too complex to relate, but I was honored to host her. As soon as I met this exceptionally adorable pigeon in person, I knew I wanted her to be the subject of my next pigeon portrait.
For this piece, I wanted to work more loosely than usual. I’ve felt called to work in a less controlled way for a while, but my intentions to do so have been diverted, whether by habit, fear, or something else, I don’t know.
I did know that I wanted to avoid covering the background collage almost completely like I usually do. So, after applying light layers of paint with a brayer to fade it, I made a freehand charcoal drawing of Alfred on the board. I started out pretty loose, but before I knew it, I was in a tug-of-war with myself over her likeness and lost most of my original light touch.
At one point, I became so exasperated with my own perfectionism that I grabbed my water bottle and forcefully sprayed the charcoal in several places, allowing it to puddle and drip. You know how some trainers counsel you to spray misbehaving animals to make them drop unwanted behaviors? It felt like that. And it worked!
From that point, I continued on quite happily, using pastels and crayons to add color to her body, eye, and beak. Ultimately, this portrait combines the two art practices I most love: collage and drawing. It feels like a step in an exciting new direction. Here’s the finished piece . . .
Alfred herself has always been great at tuning into and communicating what she wants. Working on her portrait helped me do the same. And it thrills me that the work has already found a place with Alfred’s people. I can’t wait to see her portrait in its new home.
April Giveaway Winner & Next Giveaway Prize
Congratulations to Janet O., who won the magnet set in the random drawing! If you didn’t win this time, I encourage you to enter the next giveaway, which I’ll hold at the end of July. The prize will be any bird block available on my website at the time of the drawing.
As a reminder, here’s how to enter:
- If you’re getting this post in your email inbox, reply to it and tell me you want to be included.
- If you’re reading this post on my website, subscribe to the blog and reply to your confirmation email.
I’ll pick a winner on July 31, but you’ll see me in your inbox again before then!
