Chickens

Chickens. With a few feathered friends you are never alone, or un-entertained.

"Strutting Dottie"

This is more of a collection of what I think my clucky friends dreams may be.

Dottie typically lays the smallest egg in the coop, so I have portrayed her with a large golden egg.  She is always proud and sings a loud song after depositing her glorious efforts with the clutch. 

"Good Looking Roo"

When he was hatched as a bantum naked neck in a world full of hens towering over him twice his size, he got a touch of little cock syndrome. (Don't Get no Respect!!) He chose the path of  the mouthiest one in the bunch, and overcompensates sometimes trying his hardest to be terrifying. His mullet is a shiny red cap, and some days it verges more on the look of a rat-tail. Like Tom Jones,  he always has his shirt unbuttoned for the ladies, and I know he's a  tender sweet little thing when he sings.  I have portrayed this ridiculous little scamp as large fanciful rooster, with a flowing Fabio mane of feathers, who walks in silence because he can't help but be noticed in all his glory. 

Sand Chicken

The sand offers many options and opportunities for creating public art, later to be destroyed mercilessly by a two year old merely because that's what little boys do. Build it, crash it! Though sad to see the hen smashed back into the ground with little feet and hands and the aid of a plastic shovel, the giggles during and after demolition are irresistible. 

Why did the chicken cross the road?  - She has an apparent lack of dromophobia.


"Business is never so healthy as when, like a chicken , it must do a certain amount of scratching for what it gets."- Henry Ford
Enjoy your day!

Greta Gnatek Redzko = Fabulous

Greta Gnatek Redzko is a fabulous artist. Her painting is so creamy, so dreamy; she invokes images with bold whispers of contour lines, velvety textures, and blushing colors. Now she has created this and I have become narcissistic (get it? it's a painting of me and I am in LOVE with it, haha) 

"Lauren"
by Greta Gnatek Redzko

She told me she was nearing completion, just needed to add lips. She even offered to have me kiss it! It needed to be signed by her lips though, and hers are much nicer than my pencil thin lips.

No one before has said "Lauren, I'm going to paint you" and made it happen.

Until today.

Today is a good day.

Here are a few images of  friends that have found their way to my drawing board that I  hope feel as elated as I do to be works of art.

"Lean In"
by Lauren T Kistner

"Liz, in Curlers"
by Lauren T Kistner

"Desert Flower"
by Lauren T Kistner

Magpies

Some things take their time to come to fruition. Sometimes it takes a few gentle reminders to get the ink flowing. Returning home from a float in the river last night, we entered onto our property to find a plethora of magpies. (I realize now I should have counted, but I'm not too superstitious and really just enjoyed their presence)  Last week a friend showed up with a magpie feather in her hand. Right before another epic rock hounding adventure with my Sara, we found two magpie feathers across from Stewart's Gem Shop. I had been pondering magpies for months. Memories of them on farm and the ditch rider shooting them. I would come across their lifeless bodies in the 5 acres of wildlife preserve on my grandparent's property that I frequented. That is where he would shoot them. In a wildlife preserve. I remember always being intrigued by their feathers (those long, silky, iridescent tail feathers the most) but without the gall to remove them, I would bury the birds as best I could.

One for Sorrow

The series is based around a poem. All images will be ink on paper, 12"x12". Between the chicken drawings that are clawing their way out, I find some time to work on the magpies.

Two for Joy

I know what you are thinking - this is not my typical medium. My obsession with color, line, and texture is aided by the brush and paint. So far in this blog there has been no color, a major element in my work!  I have always drawn, (just ask my mother) and if by some magic, the aligning of the stars, life's paths or the mere acceptance of change and evolution in my art, I will be allowing the images to come forth and be seen on a more regular basis. This blog is a step outside my comfort zone, hence I have started with the media that fear has held back.

Color will sneak it's way back in.... 

On that note, Nampa traffic box public artwork will be unveiled Friday the 13th (Wooo!) of September for Nampa's Art Walk! Starting at 5 pm, Artwork on the boxes to be unveiled include the work of Rachel Teannalach, Belinda Isley, Melissa Chambers, Misty Benson, Lauren T Kistner (that's me!), Helen Grainger Wilson, and Oscar Nye. I am excited to see the images installed and the artists on location! If you get a chance, we would love to see your smiling faces!

Can't quit the Chikens

I just can't seem to quit the chickens.

Last week I returned home (to a messy house and a beautiful partner in crime whose smile alone is enough to make me forget the work I will be in for) from another fabulous adventure with a long term friend. We drove many miles of dirt roads through Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. We scoured the desert for rocks, collected an abundance of pictures on our memory cards of the strange and beautiful, and counted falling starts. I returned home with so much inspiration! A camera full indeed (examples below), yet I can't seem to quit the chickens.

Sure, I have a collection of domesticated gallinaceous fowl and a couple of ring-necked doves,  plus a plethora of birds in the urban wild that visit the garden (lady turkey included), so I see them everywhere, but I'm not sure that is a good excuse. I have yet to nail down what motivates me in certain directions when it comes to my art besides the insatiable need to do it. One week I want nothing more than to paint colorful textured images of the non-representational abstract variety (color field, action), the next to pull out the stained glass or mold sculpy clay into skulls or to just strip an old piece of furniture and make it anew. This week all I want to do is draw birds.

Forget cleaning the house.

I'm just not "down" with that.

Pull the weeds in the garden? ha, no...

Cook a meal? Forgetaboutit (sorry honey, grilled cheese and salsa for you)

After all of that rambling, I give you a glimpse - "Ducky"

I think it captures her personality well. 

Ducky is an americana/auracana/easter egger pullet, who happened to come out of the shell resembling a duckling. At lest I thought so. 

Being as talented as I am in titling animals, (remember "lady turkey?") I chose one most fitting for her. It was quite easy. Also, she's very mouthy, but enjoys a good cuddle. 

Today, I have a rooster and a few imaginary birds calling for their completion. Ta ta for now

Why not?

Why not?
"It's the wave of the future" they said, "It will be fun" they tell me.
Avoiding the here and now is something I am good at. I have a tendency to dwell in the past and a kinship for nostalgia. I enjoy the familiar and love stating the obvious. Makes me feel smart and in a weird backwards way, up to date :)
Really, this blog is another way for me to challenge myself out my cozy shell, and hopefully put my best food forward and shake it all about; with any luck, it won't b-line all the way to my mouth.

Please enjoy