I started drawing or painting a bird a day on November 13, 2020 … and so today marks the 365th bird. I didn’t start out to do this for a year, but around the 60th or 70th bird, it seemed like a good idea. I’ve turned to peacocks to mark landmarks in this journey before, so it seemed appropriate to choose a white peacock for this final day. The white peacock is rare but not an albino. Unlike in albinos, its eyes, beak and feet are pigmented. A genetic mutation called leucism causes the feathers, yellowish at birth, to turn pure white with age. In parts of India, they symbolize unconditional love, which seemed a good note on which to end this year of birds, which is perhaps more accurately deemed a year of falling in love with birds…

On this, my 150th bird-day, I’m celebrating with a peacock, a companion to the peacock I drew for the 100th bird-day…

100 birds in 100 days. I’m loving this practice, which feels very free, very experimental. I never know what a particular bird will ask for. I started this peacock today (it just seemed the right bird for Day 100) and something about the initial drawing in turquoise pencil took me back to my grandmother’s apartment with her cloisonné ashtrays. Cloisonné was the last thing on my mind when I woke up this morning …