Pigeon B90115 Print

It seems to me that Pigeons are a rather put upon species. They are one of our most common feathered friends here in Britain, but is it simply their prolific nature that causes such regular discrimination? Our ever increasing disconnect from the natural world seems to have led us to a point where many people actively hate what could be considered one of our country’s most interesting, versatile, and beautiful indigenous species. On the other hand, the dove has been emblematic throughout the history of ours and many other cultures; one might say it is a very popular bird. So I find it rather interesting that the feral pigeon is in fact a dove or to be more precise a ‘Rock Dove’. Having moved inland, been domesticated, escaped and interbred it is now a rather multi-cultural species within it’s genus. Could our tendency to talk dispassionately about this species be reflective of our inclination to discriminate against each other based on such trivial notions as size, age, shape, colour and gender? Working from my own photography, I paint these fascinating creatures with the hope of capturing each bird’s rich personality and wonderful colouring. Every bird is contained within it’s own canvas providing a space in which it can be considered as an individual with it’s own merits. So perhaps next time you witness a pigeon strutting about in it’s finery like a faded aristocratic down and out, it may look at you indignantly, well it’s thinking “I’m not a pigeon, I’m a flocking Rock Dove!”.