Painting 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - #12

"Future Egg Layer"

oil on Raymar plein air panel

5" x 7"
SOLD

My 3 chickens are almost 2 years old.  This little chick was GIVEN to me by my neighbor.  Little did he know at the time, what a life this chick would have.  She was just hatched when I took the photo I used here, standing in the little box we set up - in the pine shavings.  She grew into a beautiful hen - a Speckled Sussex...lays big brown eggs and is such a character.  

Her name is Harlough.

Number 12 of 30 in 30 Leslie Saeta's challenge.

(I am back in my comfort zone.)

Where I Stand Sunday

Getting up with the chickens...love that full moon!

Where I Stand Sunday

Yesterday I stood here, at the crack of dawn...

with the freezing temps and wind, the chickens need more looking in on, changing out their frozen water...making sure their food was uncovered and dry.

Today, more of the same checking, only trudging through a couple of inches of white stuff.  This winter will be interesting for watching and caring for them.  They don't really seem to know what to do.  They try to stay out of the wind, however, they don't really stay much in their little house during this kind of day.
Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing.
Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on.
There are several others who also write this on Sunday, see sidebar.

Step by Step of an Oil Painting of My Three Chickens

Today I painted in oil on a 12" x 12" canvas. Here are the results.

First a sketch-in with a transparent orange/burnt sienna..

squinting down and adding the darkest darks..

time for some 'midtones'..

adding more of the 'local color'...

zeroing in on the detail but staying loose...

"Flock of the Day"

oil painting

12" x 12"

wrapped canvas

painted from my own photo, a few posts back...

My recently acquired iPad helped on the quick photos..now all I have to do is figure out how to do a slideshow to upload from there to my blog...hmmm.  Anyone do this??

Where I Stand Sunday

Garden has again suffered this summer, mainly from no one able to tend it

and the heat.  Go ahead, you can say it ~ "Out of Control"!

Most seeds that grew were not planted this spring...like this one, it came up where I usually plant sunflowers.  It's almost ready to rain in this photo and now it IS raining!

I have had several deer fly bites, which I am allergic to...so we have a fly exterminator jar.  You can see the black stuff almost filling this jar - they are flies.  It's so gross.

We have had a good crop of anaheim peppers and green peppers.

I planted these last year, but none came up.  Froze the seeds, and planted them again this year.  Now they are everywhere!  They are birdhouse gourds.  I will have a nice crop in October and November which I will hollow out and

paint and hang from trees in the spring!

Sometimes, if you aren't watching, they start growing between the fence wires.

So do these volunteer mini-gourds.

These are all volunteer and I swear we cleaned out the garden

good before planting this year.

The popcorn is growing nicely...but wait...

what's that I see on this one.

Looks like I may need to spray some Sevin again.

Ants are eating some aphid looking bugs on this cob...only one I see, but it is on the outside row of the crop and near the sunflowers...which have lots of ants.

And then there is these three guys...one guy and two gals.  Notice how small the banty hen is ~ compared to the chick that we got from the neighbor standing behind her.

The little one is Chickenator, Harlough (behind) and Queenie the Bantam Rooster.

I swear when I look at this chicken, Chickenator,

 I see the missing link to dinosaurs - don't you?

There are pieces of zucchini in the pen, they love them!

Love to watch Queenie puff up - like the fighting cock he could easily be - but he seems mild-mannered for the most part. Earlier we took a hike to catch grasshoppers for them...they don't seem to want to jump into their chicken run, so we bring the hoppers to them. Always fun to watch - it seems the biggest usually gets the catch...the little hen gets leftovers, but we manipulate it so Chickenator gets at least ONE.

Chickenator, you need to keep your feathers.  You are too small to lose even ONE!

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing.

Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on.

There are several others who also write this on Sunday, see sidebar.

Chickens on the Move

I'm back home now. It has been a few 'trying' and sad weeks for me and my family. Losing mom has been extremely hard. Saying goodbye was even harder. She was laid to rest near the town where she grew up, a little town in southeast Missouri.  I hadn't been there myself in about 23 years. Funny how some things change and some things are the same. Was so good to see members of my family that I hadn't seen in that long, as well. I am learning to live with the reality that my mom is no longer with us. Thinking good thoughts and remembering good times are at the forefront of my days. But life is sure different...I miss you mom - more than words can say and as I go through my days, I know she is nearby. 

Upon returning to home we needed to move the chicken coop to a fresh area. DH designed and welded a couple of axels for wheels from an unused lawn tractor to make the coop 'mobile'. Two wheels on the front and a 2 x 4 placed underneath some hooks on the back for leverage to pick it up and wheel it to a new area.  The back of the chicken coop does not have beefy enough uprights to add more wheels there.  This whole idea was an afterthought, when we found out how heavy the building was once we were through building it...ugh!  This move wasn't as easy as it looks as it was still heavy, but it's moved and the chickens seem happy to have some fresh grass. Something we are trying to do lots of ~ is catch grasshoppers and throw them in the run for them to catch and devour. Guess who usually gets them? Harlough, the wonder chick...who is now a big fat hen! Here are a few photos that show how we spent most of the morning yesterday.  I tried to get some better photos of the chickens, but they were intent on staying in the shade after the move, it was hot and the bright sun too warm. Today we are having some much welcomed overnight and morning RAIN and cooler weather!!

We had to move the 'run' slowly - as we were unable to coax them up into the house once they were out.

These are the nifty hooks that we got off of some old utility poles we had. Don't know what they were used for but they make great hooks to put the 2 x 4 into and lift.

New grass area - the old area will no doubt soon regenerate

with all the fertilizer left behind.

Chickens are fun to raise. They are easy animals who don't need a LOT of everyday care.  Just clean fresh water and food. 

Where I Stand Sunday

Summer - lots to do, lots to build, lots to paint, throw a seasonal job in the mix, and we are scurrying.

Building the chicken coop has been a task and a half.  Hubster has engineered the ultimate - 3 chicken SPA!

We need to be done with this today - as....

they are growin' fast! The littlest one, or used to be littlest, is in the back...and as we have been thinking, we may have 3 roosters. (They are left to right, Queenie, Harlough and Chickenator - who has the resemblance of a hawk, I think.) 

Oh well, just look at the nice place they will be inhabiting!

Above are the panels for the run...that attaches to the coop..

made of recycled wood (we tore down an old garage this year), leftovers..and some new wood, boy that stuff is expensive!

NOTHING BUT THE BEST FOR THESE CHICKENS!
P.S. Added Monday - please keep hydrated out there if you are experiencing hot weather - I experienced 'heat exhaustion' yesterday afternoon, and it is no fun!  Dizziness, ringing in the ears, tightness in the chest, profuse sweating - I had to quit, come in, lay down in front of fans and put cold cloth on my head, which I later learned needs to go under armpits and groin...I am well read on that one now, I WAS drinking water...but I guess NOT ENOUGH - an afternoon and evening, wasted.  Be careful!

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing.

Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on.

There are several others who also write this on Sunday, see sidebar.

An Acrylic Painting of Chickens in a Coop

"What Pecking Order?"

6" x 8"

acrylic on Raymar canvasboard

Another use of a photo from the Critter Farm, thanks Danni. The effect came out very 'wash' like - as in watercolor...

another watermedia I would like more time with.

People ask me if I named my chickens?  I answer,"Who doesn't?"  Danni can tell you the name of these chickens, better yet, you can go to her blog and find them if you like...

(click here) Critter Farm.

Where I Stand Sunday

Well, this is going to be interesting.  Here I am in my neighbors chicken yard as a stranger.

"Well, WHO is SHE and what does she want?"

"Danger, danger - run for your lives - she doesn't belong here!!"

Ok, already, I was just gathering the eggs I was given permission for. 

But while I am here, wouldn't you like to star in my next blogpost??

"Are you kidding?  Just try and take our pictures near you - it won't happen we tell you -

IT WON'T HAPPEN!!!"

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. There are several others who also write this on Sunday, see sidebar.

Happy "Daylight Savings Time"...

Blogger is not cooperating today - can't seem to get these two side by side...oh well.

Pastel Sketches

These two chickens were my focus today.  They are small - done on brown canson paper.

I needed a little practice, as I haven't done any pastels in awhile.  On to bigger and better things.

Last Chicken In - Is a Rotten Egg!

We are at the end of our stint of being 'chicken sitters'. Lots of fun, watching and playing with them. The trickiest part was keeping the roosters out of the laying hen pen at night when we put them away...they went into the chicken house and to chase them out was like separating out a fish in a tank full of guppies!











Two of the big bad roosters, below. They remind me of the "Jets" in West Side Story! I hear that song, yah, "here come the jets.." in my head as they strut around the barnyard.

Click to enlarge photos.