FogHorn LegHorn

Many years ago we had a little farm with fifteen chickens, and two roosters. Our first rooster we named “FogHorn LegHorn,” and I never minded that he awakened us each morning at the same time…..EARLY.

We had many other animals on our small farm, but this is really about our first rooster.  A friend of ours built us a huge, really nice coup where all the hens & rooster lived at night.  I don’t remember ever having trouble with the rooster when they were in the pen, but when they were all out pecking around, eating worms, and free ranging the rooster was so much fun to watch.  Of course, he did what all roosters did even though he wasn’t old enough to make a difference.  We had friends show up on our front doorstep with a six-pack of beer, and munchies just to relax on a Sunday afternoon in the back.  They would sit all afternoon chatting, munching on goodies, and sharing beer just to watch FogHorn LegHorn and his hens.  Those were fun days, and the memories of them are worthy of many short stories.

I’ve always wanted to paint chickens, or a rooster, and finally I took the leap. Since I’m not really fond of realism, I decided to paint an abstract rooster.  To tell the truth, this little canvas (10″X 24″) was given to me as a challenge, and I didn’t have a clue what I would do with it.  So the other day I primed it in orange, and then it began to speak.   Before I knew what was happening, I was roughly sketching out a rooster.  The next thing I knew I mixed up a light version of Cobalt Teal and began negatively painting.

It isn’t finished, but I’m having so much fun that I had to show all of you the possibilities of a challenge.

FogHorn LegHorn will be back. He won’t change much but he will be changed, and this is where abstract is going for me at the moment.