My first experience with painting these quirky creatures was for entry into the Wartburg Community Symphony contest “The Flight of the Birds.” I had never tried to paint birds before, however the focus on the feeling of light and movement within my work had always been a primary goal. As I began to create more paintings with this subject, I began to play around with the idea of what the personalities of these creatures might be. As a kid, I was a frequent visitor at my aunt’s farm with many chickens and roosters who were happy to chase you around at any time. As I thought more about personalities within my featherly portraits, I enjoyed the playful idea that each of these creatures embodied more human-like traits and therefore named them accordingly.
