Pigeons and I have a complicated relationship. A couple of decades ago, I inhaled a fungus carried in pigeon droppings. Most city-dwellers have been exposed to it, but the common varieties are easily fought off, so most people never know they’ve had it. Not me, though. I got a special strain. I used to joke that I had squab disease. It was nearly the end of me. Luckily, thanks to a great (if unconventional) doctor, some very painful surgery, and months of horrible anti-fungal drugs, I eventually got rid of the infection. Though it wasn’t the birds’ fault, the whole ordeal left me feeling triggered by the things. I still find myself holding my breath whenever I pass under train trestles and other places where the creatures tend to nest (and crap).

Anyway, back to today’s art. These are the beautiful, character-filled pigeon portraits by Adele Renault. She infuses her subjects with so much personality and intelligence, I can almost, almost forgive them. On the other hand, since Renault often paints the creatures as building-high murals, their sheer size is also making me nervous. I had better just admire them (the birds and the art) from afar.

You can see more of Adele Renault’s not at all scary giant pigeons on her website, in her book, Feathers and Faces, and on Instagram.

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Quick one in Busan. The locals seem to like it (swipe), always makes me happy. Never painted with such a nice view. Probably why I spent the whole day just taping off and staring at the view instead of painting yesterday… Tomorrow we’re doing at talk at @artbusankorea with @powwowkorea team, swing by at 4pm. @pro_gress @andyisong @suitman

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on May 30, 2019 at 3:43am PDT

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#wip #gutterparadise #ginger #iridescent #pigeonfeathers

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on May 1, 2019 at 10:12am PDT

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Nice to see @annabellabarber connecting with this moulting baby pigeon in Des Moisnes! Show curated by @jasonwoodside with @pref_id @swoonhq @dface_official @itsaliving @adamlucasnyc @buffmonster @zoonchez @maserart

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on Jun 24, 2019 at 1:25pm PDT

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Wallifornia, my birthplace! #wallifornia #liege #bringyourownpalmtree #goodtobehome #warmwelcome #palmtreesrealorfake #lesardentes

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on Jul 3, 2019 at 11:45pm PDT

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Trust me this one gonna do as well as Armando @trapdoorbobby @dannyhughes44 #belgiansdoitbetter #alwaysstartingwiththeeyes

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on Mar 21, 2019 at 9:34am PDT

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“Almond Pigeon” oil on raw linen, on view now at @moberggallery. Alongside works by @jasonwoodside @buffmonster @dface_official @swoonhq @adamlucasnyc and a couple I might have forgotten 🙃

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on Jun 26, 2019 at 2:40pm PDT

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Here’s a better shot of last week’s mural! #sunrays on #gutterparadise 📷 @asatoiida

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on Jul 3, 2019 at 3:00am PDT

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Painting on view at @urbannationberlin photo by @nikakramer #uniteduntied

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on May 9, 2019 at 3:32pm PDT

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Some 🎥 by @andyisong. Swipe! Fun times in South Korea. #upindisky #startedatthebottom

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on May 25, 2019 at 11:22pm PDT

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🎨🐦 #sometimessizematters

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on Apr 1, 2019 at 9:34am PDT

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Beautiful #wip photos by @pranavgohill for @startindia. Thank you @giulia_ambrogi @_tahska @hanifkureshi @arjunbahl1 and whole St+Art amazing team!! I had an wonderful time up in the trees painting these two big 🐦🐦#lodhiartdistrict

A post shared by Adele Renault (@adelerenault) on Jan 31, 2019 at 2:53pm PST