The Little Chick in Red

Hi there! I am happy to report that the Traveling Chicken and her glamorous entourage arrived safely in Texas! From the looks of the box, she underwent a most thorough examination in Customs. However, her sterling reputation as an international ambassador of creative good will (and fun!) must have preceded her. They carefully wrapped her back up and sent her on her way!

After a leisurely morning of tea and scones, she graciously posed for me yesterday afternoon. She seems to favor a vintage tea towel, and I can't say that I blame her.  She looks stunning in red! Awhile ago, I purchased this tiny, 4-inch wooden panel, and I hadn't found just the right subject for it. When I unpacked the little Traveling Chicken, though, I knew she was it!

In the spirit of the holiday season, I'm going to start her auction on Daily Paintworks at $1.00.  All proceeds from the auction will be donated to fellow painter, Azra's, favorite charity.  She was the one that started this very fun tradition, so I think it is only fitting! Thank you, Azra!

Darla McDowell Blog

Brooding on the meaning of eggsistence.

My chickens, who are a tad moulting and bedraggled, took one look at this polished well-travelled, cosmopolitan visitor and fell to pondering about their narrow, provincial and rather closed lives. No elephant riding for them; moods were rather fowl.

The TC however also fell to pondering. Here were useful productive hens - they provided nourishing eggs, thereby enriching lives, ( and the odd cake). Their lives had a purpose... did hers?

Then she thought about deep stuff, about , you know, how the shell encapsulates the fragility of life, about whether we can ever truly perceive ourselves, are we  capable only of looking in on life from the outside? and, uuhmm, about shadows symbolising something looming or somesuch, and about... amm, poached eggs on sourdough. Oops, that's just me.

TC will be only too delighted to flee such mind scrambling eggsistentialist angst, ( not to mind such bad puns) - happy travelling.

Evie McLaughlin Blog

Chicken Chit Chat

The Travelling Chicken has arrived in Surrey in the UK. She set off socialising and comb comparing before getting down to the business of life modelling.

Can I just say a big thank you to Nan, who despite being in the middle of dealing with Sandy and its aftermath, has been ever so helpful and patient.

Tomorrow's the day for the auction that will take place in Kersting Court in Sierra Madre, CA from 4-6:45. Hope many will come and have a look. I know there will be more than my paintings available to help raise the money for The City of Hope.Walk up a block and over to 31 E. Montecito, and I may be around to say Hi!

Joy Ride

Little Chicken arrived when there was a mood of festivity in the country.  The Dussehra and Navratri festivals being celebrated this month had an effect on her. The display of various dolls happens this time and as I was preparing to showcase them at home, little chicken found Hathi- a locally handcrafted wooden baby elephant. She quickly made friends with him.  Now, both made some plans and Hathi offered to take her around the city of Hyderabad to show her all the sights and sounds….So, quite secretly, they left in a jiffy….and Boy! What a ride she had!  
 

Here’s a li’l tete-a-tete they had-

Little Chicken:  Wow! What’s this lake here?

Hathi: It’s Hussain Sagar, with the Buddha statue in the middle.

Little Chicken: Why are people dancing away, Hathi?
Hathi:  With their dandiya sticks, they are dancing to the “Navratri Dandiya” beats which are hard to resist you see…

Little Chicken: What are the colorful patterns below?
Hathi: They are ”Rangoli” which is put in front of houses and on the streets during festivities.

Little Chicken: Oh look, Hathi, it’s raining pearls! Truly, I’ve arrived in the City of Pearls!!!
Hathi: You bet! :) You'll find pearls of all kinds here...

Little Chicken:  Now, why have you decked yourself Hathi?
Hathi: I’m off to partake in the Dussehra procession. There will be many of my kind, and horses, and camels too… Alright, that’s enough for now, little friend. Let’s return. It was fun taking you around.

Little Chicken: Thanks a ton Hathi! You have made my day!

Thank you Hathi, for entertaining the Chicken. Thank you Little Chicken, for visiting me. Soon, the little Chicken will be flying to meet Evie McLaughlin in the UK. Happy travels Little Chicken!

Here is my Blog with the post. Thanks!         - Anita Badami

Namaste, Little Chicken!

Little Chicken has finally arrived in Hyderabad, India!!! When I asked about her long journey, she seemed to be in no mood to respond. Ah, I realized she was very much JET LAGGED! So I just let her rest on her little Diwan (couch cum bed), kept ready especially for her. She made herself cosy and dozed off…

 Here’s what she’s been doing right now….

Little Miss Chicken is going to have a blast for the next few days with me. Let me give her some time to rest, before she is back to her cheerful self again. Who knows, she may have many pleasant surprises in store …J Wake up soon, little Chicken!

(Post 1 of 2)



Yearning Chicken Love

Well, the chickens have arrived in Oregon, just in time for them to enjoy the tail end of our glorious summer! I took them outside and pointed out the beautiful trees and flowers but these two just wanted to make googly eyes at each other. So, I did the only logical thing - I put them in my shadow box for privacy and let them arrange themselves. When I looked again they were just like this, the rooster seeming to serenade the hen. Honestly I'm so glad it wasn't something R rated!

Now I will pack them back up in the box ... a cozy box, where hopefully they will be good little chickens. They are on their way to India to visit Anita Badami. You can see my post on my blog, along with a bid link. Thank you for visiting me on your journey, chickens! Carol Marine

Lynne Fearman's Blog

Sierra Madre, CA. Wine and Jazz Festival Welcomes the Traveling Chicken!

Lynne Fearman here in Sierra Madre, CA. Well, the little troop of chicks arrived, (I’d like to say “safely” but not all was well) the larger Mexican chicken had his comb broken off on his way here. He’s fine now. I’m sure it had something to do with too many cocktails  on his flight here! He’s taking a trip back to his mamacita, Jill.

 Little yellow chick and her mom will be taking part in the Sierra Madre ‘Wine and Jazz Festival’ here, in Sierra Madre, when the painting she posed for will be auctioned off at the event to raise money for the City of Hope. She posed serenely, while the other chickens ran for their lives at the approach of the San Antonio Winery truck ( a major sponsor for this event ) at our local E. Waldo Ward Farm. It’s one of the only remaining working farms in the San Gabriel Valley. Her mom decided to take her chicks to the cool shade under the vines. We hope the locals will like her as much as we do! Have you ever tried to paint chickens when they are running in every direction? I’ll tell you now it ain’t easy!
  Now our little chicken is off to Carol Marine in Oregon. Carol, She’s on her way!

Beautiful Day in Wisconsin

The Traveling Chicken arrived safe and sound in Wisconsin on August 23rd. The trip from Kathleen Williford in Georgia was uneventful as far as I could tell which is good since she got here in one piece with her entourage.

She enjoyed many things in Wisconsin, including trying out some cheddar cheese which she said was the best one she had ever tried! She also went school shopping with us as the kids are finally going back to school next week and I'll be able to get back to painting regularly....

We really had fun with Traveling chicken and I couldn't help but paint her enjoying some sun on our patio on a very sunny and beautiful Sunday in Wisconsin!   I could tell she was mesmerized with the corn fields!

Thank you for visiting with us Traveling Chicken, we hope you have safe travels to Lynne Fearman in California and we can't wait to hear about your next adventures.

 Thank you Azra for starting this fun project and for everyone for including me! Happy Painting!
Karen d'Angeac Mihm

The Kudzu Adventure

The lovely Traveling Chicken and her entourage arrived safely here in Georgia a few days ago from Sandy Sandy in New Jersey. They were very happy to fluff their feathers after being cooped up in the Express Mail box and bubble wrap! 

After getting acquainted I was showing the little chick around. During a tour of my backyard I became distracted by a phone call and I turned my back on her for only a few minutes. When I returned she was nowhere to be found! I last saw her scratching around near a wooded area in the far back part of my property. I searched high and low becoming increasingly frantic! I know she has a mind (bird brain) of her own and can sometimes be a handful so I was afraid she had wondered off! Or maybe had been eaten by some critter...  Eeeks!

Then, thank goodness, I heard her little clucks and found her dangling several feet off the ground near my fence. A Kudzu vine had hooked through her tiny pink ribbon and had hoisted her up where she was helplessly hanging. Some say Kudzu is the "vine that ate the south"... it grows so fast we're afraid down here to leave a window open at night! (Guess you can't leave your little chicken in the backyard either!) I rescued her, calmed her down and smoothed her little feathers. Whew, that was a close one! Now that the ordeal is all over, she tells me it was actually kind of fun sailing through the air! She felt like she could fly!

Next she will be on her way to visit Karen d’Angeac Mihm in Wisconsin. Thanks to Azra who hatched this idea and launched her on her journey. And thanks to all of her previous hosts who have added so much by weaving stories and art around her adventures! 

I’m happy I was able to be part of this!

 Kathleen Williford   

Bridging the Gap

The past few days with TC have been spent relaxing here at home, on the Sandarosa. We've made great strides in bridging the gap between people and poultry!

I've learned a lot about her in this short time. Putting her into this painting of a Bridge Over a Pond by Claude Monet made quite an IMPRESSION on her! Monet is not her favorite painter, however. You can see where her true love in art and in men lies, today on:

SKETCHINGEVERYDAY.

She's HERE!

The Little Traveling Chicken

got here last night!

Today our guests wanted to relax

and enjoy some down time.

They went outside with me.

After a little photo shoot,

TC and crew spotted our new

seed holding, bench rockin' chair.

I couldn't tear them away from it!

All agreed, it was just what the doctor ordered. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent

drinking Coronas, scratching seed,

unwinding and getting to know each other.

See more photos featuring

The famous Traveling Chicken and friends

today on my blog.

"It is only in the country that we can

get to know a person or a book".  ~ Cyril Connolly

Eagerly Awaiting Their Arrival!

THE LITTLE TRAVELING CHICK

IS ON HER WAY TO ME, Y A H O O ! !

HOPEFULLY SHE WILL BE ALL IN ONE PIECE!

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT OUR UPCOMING ADVENTURES, THAT I  HAVE  BEGUN DRAWING AND PAINTING TC AND HER TROUPE FROM JILL POLSBY'S PHOTOS.

I'VE NEVER HAD A CELEBRITY COME VISIT

AND PLAN ON SHOWING EVERYONE A GRAND OLE TIME.

 I'VE GOT SO MANY IDEAS,

THEY MAY NEED TO STAY HERE FOR WEEKS!

You can see more thoughts and watercolor sketches

featuring The famous Traveling Chicken and Entourage here on

SKETCHINGEVERYDAY.

Not Her Type

My, that Traveling Chicken is a cute gal. She really made an impression of my little friend here.  He quickly offered her a Tsingtao beer, but she said she preferred the South of the Border type (from what I've read in more ways than just her beer selection.) They agreed to let me paint them together - acrylic on watercolor paper - while they chatted. I must say he got all wound up for her, but she was kind and let him down easy. So now she and her "troop" are nearly packed up and ready to fly off to Sandy Sandy in New Jersey. I do hope in the future she'll come back for a return visit. We could go to Malibu beach, Disneyland,  Hollywood, Beverly Hills......
Thanks to you all for the comments on my blog regarding our little friend here. And, Azra, if we all get to travel around a bit via her, then we have you to thank for sending her out bravely into the world. (She's only been smashed once, hopefully that'll be it!)
Cheers and God's Peace!
Karen Stitt

Chicago to Quebec, Part VI

Post From Ann Feldman, Chicago:

Here's the latest on the traveling Troop of Chickens:  They arrived here in Chicago a few weeks ago from Jill's house.  The Little Yellow Chicken (or Le Petite Poulet as she is known in Quebec) accompanied me to Quebec City and Montreal for a week of sightseeing and listening to jazz at the International Jazz Festival.  Her feathers were a bit ruffled after she got re-routed to Newark for one night when the suitcase she was tucked into went to Quebec via the scenic route!  I tried to explain to her that it was for her own good that she spent the night in a sturdy shoe.  

But all was very well after she was placed into many beautiful flower boxes for her portrait.  She even managed to be captured in a couple of toy store windows and restaurant table setups.  As her temporary host mom, I've been busy painting away, finishing up these little paintings now that we're home.  

This is a painting of our dear chicken in a Quebec flower box.  Doesn't she look happy there?  She is a wonderful travel companion, and she picks up new languages quite easily-- "Le Clucque" is her favorite new phrase!

And now she is with Karen Stitt in California.  Looking forward to hearing how she's doing!

The Traveling Chicken - Part V Final

The replacement Little Chicken arrived two days ago from our friends at the Tiger Store in London. What fabulous people to have found another Chicken and to have mailed it off immediately so that she could continue her worldwide journey to fame!! (If you've followed her saga, you know that she was smashed by the U.S. Postal Service earlier in her career.)

She arrived with a severe case of jet lag and after climbing out of her suitcase, she settled in with Jill Polsby for a long tete-a-tete over a cup of coffee about traveling.
Jill tried and tried to paint the Little Chicken but she kept moving.....finally, late afternoon, the Chicken settled down for a nap and Jill quickly painted away. 

Here's the final version of "Havin' a Cuppa" in Pasadena.


She now resumes her travels and will go visit Ann Feldman of Illinois who will be taking her to Quebec on vacation.  After that stopover, Ann will mail her to:

K.S. Stitt of Agoura Hills, California
who when she's finished will mail her to:
Sandy Sandy (actual name) of New Jersey
who when she's finished will mail her to:
Kathleen Williford of Hampton, Georgia.

When Ann is ready to mail her, she will contact you to acquire your address information.

If you have any interest in joining in on this slow moving world-wide Traveling Chicken Art Project, you must comment on this blog.  The founders and originators will "vet" the names and add them to the list.

The Traveling Chicken - continuing Part V

And the new Little Chicken arrived today from London, thanks to the Tiger Company of Denmark and their wonderful offer of assistance.  Jill, in Pasadena, now needs to paint her version of the Little Chicken and then send her on her way, with her entourage: El Pollo Azul, that strutter from Ensenada and her Mama and siblings from England, who arrived when the Little Chicken was in trouble.

The saga will continue. Stay tuned.

The Traveling Chicken: Part V - California

A world wide painting project started several months ago!!

The travels & adventures of a small, ceramic chicken

as it makes it way around the art world.

Once upon a time, a small, ceramic chicken was purchased at the British version of the U.S.'s Dollar Store, Tiger England, by Azra Iqbal who was looking for small things to use in her still life paintings. She painted the following painting and then thought how much fun it would be to send this little chicken on a worldwide adventure, traveling to different countries, meeting different painters.

So she contacted her friend Karla Uphoff who lives in Illinois and asked if she'd like to paint the little chicken. Enthusiastic response by Karla and the little chicken was put in the mail to Illinois. Karla's normally an oil painter but decided to paint the chicken for Easter Sunday in watercolor.

And then Karla contacted Nancie Johnson of New Jersey and the chicken was shipped off, wrapped in its original red tissue paper for the journey.

Nancie said: When this little chicken arrived, I ran all over the house (and yard), posing this little chick everywhere. It was in the flower bed, on the bird bath, in various locations in the house. And I took photos in each - but nothing worked the way I wanted it to. The chick looked lost amongst the larger than life leaves in my photos - zooming in to get the little chick center stage made the leaves in the garden look like imposing alien creatures!

So I simply sat down and looked at the chick for a while. And I noticed how unusual the chicken actually was - from the markings on its body to the unusual beak and tail. And then I wondered what a flock of live chickens would think of this little one?

My painting is the outcome of that thought & question. Titled "One of the Flock?" shows the puzzled chicks looking at the little chicken with confusion. The little chick has no qualms about its identity - it knows who it is. So it just sits as the others simply guess.

The little chicken has been safely packaged and mailed to Jill Polsby in California, who has agreed to do the 4th installment of the The Traveling Chicken challenge. I wonder how far and wide this little chick with travel!?!

And then Jill Polsby, Pasadena, CA received the Traveling Chicken. Her life was a bit crazy at the moment so she asked her internet friend Nancy Goldman of Orange County, California to step in, and step in she did. She did an outrageous thing to this little jet-lagged, mind agog, little bird. She took her out for a day by the pool, showing off our gorgeous Southern California winter weather!

She then sent the little chicken back to Jill in Pasadena where the Traveling Chicken threw a hissy fit. She wanted more of the sun. She wanted more of travels. She didn't want to be in this staid old town. She found the Greyhound Bus Station and took herself to Ensenada, Baja Mexico, a wild party town south of the border. And, like every other tourist, she found Hussong's Cantina

where she proceeded to have a wild, wild time like all tourists do and she ended up very smashed on beer.

She had met some crazy men at Hussong's and had some great fun dancing and singing to the Mariachi music!

With her one call home to her momma in England......

Momma sent bus fare and money for the psychiatrist to put her broken body back into shape.

The psychiatrist tried, but the little chicken was so frazzled, her mind so bent by that Mexican frolic, that her edges couldn't be smoothed.

Jill did paint one picture of the frazzled chicken before the psychiatrist got his hands on her.

And then the truth must out! Little Chicken actually was smashed by our incredible U.S. postal system, smashed to smithereens in her original red tissue paper packaging which had survived crossing the Atlantic Ocean, crossing the United States, moving within the state of California.

While studying the pieces of the chicken to try to glue her back together (obviously nothing Jill should try to do to earn a living), there was a upc code discovered on the bottom side of the chicken which, with research, led Jill to a Danish company, Tiger Stores, which has branches in England.

On a devil's errand, Jill wrote the company via the internet with the following request:

Fra: jill polsby [mailto:polsby@yahoo.com]
Sendt: 23. maj 2012 04:13
Til: Tahir Hussain
Emne: strange question for you, nothing to do with opening a store

I am looking for a product you had, I think in England.

A small yellow ceramic chicken with white spots

the tag is still on it

0200010020696 from what I can read

Batch 62334

It's part of a worldwide "floating" art project that's been happening via the internet. This little chicken has visited a lot of countries, safely, until she got to the United States where our "incredibly efficient" post office smashed her on her way back to my house. I've been trying to glue her back together without much success and am so in hopes that somewhere in your inventory, you'll find me another little yellow chicken with white spots.

She's about 2 inches by 2 inches, red comb, yellow tail.

I've attached a picture I took of her when she first arrived at my house.

And surprises of all surprises!! Tiger Stores in Denmark sent my request on to the marketing manager in Great Britain. And back by email came this fantastic letter from the Tiger Store in London!!

Hello Jill

Your email regarding locating a ceramic chicken has been passed to me in London from our parent company in Denmark! You will be pleased to know we have found one. If you can email me your full name and address I will arrange to have it sent to you.

As a way of thanks we would appreciate if you can write about the project and the circumstances you found a replacement for the broken one. If you use Facebook it would be great if you could post it on our page atwww.facebook.com/tigerengland

Kind regards

Emma Bier

Design & Marketing

I'm now awaiting the arrival of a new Traveling Chicken who shall have her own "coop" to travel in from now on, no more of the red tissue packaging. Mom might travel with her and perhaps her muchacho, the cock of the walk, who she took up with while in Ensenada! There are possibilities for group posings?

Stay tuned for Jill's poses of this errant chicken. And if you might be interested in being part of the Chicken's Travels, speak up.

The Traveling Chicken, Part IV

I'm Nancy Goldman (nancygoldmanart.blogspot.com) and the chicken was sent to me by Jill Polsby.  Apparently The Traveling Chicken demanded some vacation time.  I think The TC thought that because she would be going to Orange County, CA that she would get to go to Disneyland.  No such luck so instead she decided to hang out pool side since it was a beautiful, sunny 80 degree day.  She was a bit afraid when she saw the big, scary-looking black dog in the backyard but soon figured out that as long as she stayed very near the edge of the pool she would be safe because the big black dog is afraid of the pool.  She stayed very still as I painted her portrait.

Vacation time is over and she will be heading to Pasadena to have her portrait painted by Jill.  This chicken is going to think she's pretty important being such a world traveler and having everyone clamoring to paint her likeness.  She IS awfully cute!

The Traveling Chicken, Part III

I'm Nan Johnson (Art is Not A Thing) and I live on the East Coast of the US, in the Northern part of New Jersey. Karla Uphoff (Karla Uphoff Fine Art) asked if I would be interested in doing a challenge where a small, ceramic chicken is sent to an artist & they paint or draw whatever it inspires. Azra (Azra's Painting a Day) in the UK started the whole challenge by contacting Karla. The idea sounded so appealing that I immediately said yes.

When this little chicken arrived, I ran all over the house (& yard), posing this little chick everywhere. It was in the flower bed, on the bird bath, in various locations in the house. And I took photos in each - but nothing worked the way I wanted it to. The chick looked lost amongst the larger than life leaves in my photos - zooming in to get the little chick center stage made the leaves in the garden look like imposing alien creatures!

So I simply sat down and looked at the chick for a while. And I noticed how unusual the chicken actually was - from the markings on it's body to the unusual beak & tail. And then I wondered what a flock of live chickens would think of this little one?

My painting is the outcome of that thought & question. Titled "One of the Flock?" shows the puzzled chicks looking at the little chicken with confusion. The little chick has no qualms about it's identity - it knows who it is. So it just sits as the others simply guess.

The little chicken has been safely packaged and mailed to Jill Polsby  in California, who has agreed to do the 4th installment of the The Traveling Chicken challenge. I wonder how far & wide this little chick with travel!?!

The Traveling Chicken Part II

Happy Easter
Watercolor

Hi my name is Karla Uphoff of Karla Uphoff Fine Art and I am the happy recipient of The soon to be infamous traveling chicken!!  Thank you Azra for choosing me to continue the saga!!

I had just finished watching a great watercolor demonstration video called  From Art Journaling To Art by
Jane LaFazio and I thought this little chicken was the perfect opportunity to try out watercolors.  I normally paint in oils, so this was a fun little experiment.

Here is an example of one of my oil paintings.

.So as you can see, painting the little chicken was quite a deviation from my normal painting.  But that is what being creative is all about, Right?

Now the little chicken is off to Nan of Art is Not a Thing.  Be sure to follow this blog so you can follow the exploits of the Traveling Chicken!

The First Step Of The Travelling Chicken Challenge

My name is Azra and my blog is   Azra's Painting a Day   (I live in the UK) .   In March I bought a little ceramic chicken to use in one of my paintings, and then I thought how exciting it would be if I offered this chicken to a fellow artist to paint also.She in turn would mail it to another artist.

So far Karla Uphoff  of    "Karla Uphoff Fine Art"  ( Illinois) and Nan Johnson     Art Is Not a Thing (East Coast) have both painted two fabulous versions of the chicken and now its on its way to California ,the artist is jill polsby.


I must give credit to Nan Johnson for setting up this brilliant blog to follow this journey and also for coming up with the title of the challenge.