Roseate Spoonbill by John James Audubon (1785 – 1851)

Audubon was born in Haiti and died in New York.  He illustrated birds – and did the famous book Birds of America.

I just love this bird – the colours and the gangliness.  It's a wading bird – it uses that big bill to filter mud and water so it can eat small marine creatures.

My attention was drawn to this work by a huge doorstop of a book I got from the library – The Art Book from Phaidon Press.  Get it out if you have strong enough muscles.   There are 579 pages, each dedicated to one work by an artist.  The artists are in alpha order so you get interesting juxtapositions between modern art and old masters.