Study of Three Bottles

and possibly the culprit of my allergic reaction when using oils.

#7 Study: Two Looks of Buster

5" x 7" Oil on gessoed paper

This is our oldest pigeon, Buster.  As he has aged his coloring has gotten much darker and his beak now has a tiny hook at the end. He always looks a little surly to me.  The right look is a little odd but I kind of like it.  My son said it looked like two pigeons were looking in a window at us.

These were my preliminary sketches-

#6 Pigeon Study

6 1/2 " x 3 3/4" Oil on linen mounted on panel

I read that they have clocked a racing pigeon at 92.5 mph!  We don't race our pigeons, we just raise and care for them as pets. I originally wanted to start a carrier pigeon club for kids where participating families would trade pigeons then send them off to fly home with a message. Imagine getting a message from a friend via pigeon! I think it would be amazing but it's a hard sell---it's work and commitment to care for pigeons. I haven't found another family up for the adventure yet. So for now, we're content to have them bobbing about our yard, with watching them take baths and with hearing their coo's throughout the day.