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!?!