Kitchener, Ont. artist on a mission to draw one bird a day for a year

Step inside Meredith Blunt’s studio and it’s clear why the Kitchener, Ont. artist calls herself a “bird nerd.”

From backyard bird feeders to bird-related art, Blunt surrounds herself with feathered friends.

“I sort of impose these stories and little dramatics on them,” she explains. “What they're doing, how their nest is going, who they're partnering up with, and why they're fighting over food.”

After taking a pandemic pause from art, she’s flying back into it with a force – challenging herself to draw a bird a day for an entire year.

“I know for sure I can do 365,” she says with a smile.

“I'm going to try really hard this year to get orioles and hummingbirds."

Starting by sketching, then moving on to paint, line by line and stroke by stroke, Blunt’s masterpieces start to take shape.

“You can start seeing that life in the drawing that represents that life of the bird,” she explains.

Blunt is a self-proclaimed 'bird nerd.' (Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener)

As an added challenge, Blunt’s limiting herself to bird species known to frequent Waterloo region.

For birds she’s not able to spot herself, neighbours and fellow birders on Facebook are offering up pictures they’ve taken to help with inspiration.

“It’s turning into this great local community project,” Blunt says.

So what happens to the prints at the end of the year?

Blunt is considering several ideas – from using them for a local bird guide, to selling them as part of non-profit fundraising efforts.

With a long way to go, it seems the sky is the limit, with much more time to decide.

“Today, I’m at 299 birds to go, yesterday was bird number 65.”

See more of Blunt's paintings here.