Ugly Duckling Art Journal

Dear Friends,

As you might have noticed, I love painting a variety of subject matter, especially scenes that make me feel close to Nature. Among animal subjects, I paint chickens more than other animals.

People often ask me why I like painting chickens so much.

In 2008, I started painting chickens intensively after my husband and I got 1-day-old baby chicks and started raising them as pets. Our chickens free range during the day, and they go back to roost in the chicken coop at night by themselves.

In that Fall, California state passed Proposition 2 to begin reducing farm animal cruelty. That included banning battery cages for egg-laying hens.

I was very delighted by this news. That’s when I decided to paint chickens to celebrate the victory of Animal Rights.

When I was little, my family used to visit my grandmother in northern Japan every summer. She had a big egg farm. She had hundreds of white hens in battery cages. I was never allowed to hang out in the coop without an adult. I was never allowed to even ask about the well-being of the chickens.

Looking back, I didn’t have a voice. Neither did the hens. But it doesn’t mean I didn’t have my opinions or feelings. Now I have the voice to express my emotions and feelings in my paintings.

In my paintings, I want to elevate chickens to the highest form of Fine Art.

I believe that all creatures in Nature have voices. Some of us understand their languages.

That’s why I want to create representational paintings to help people connect with Nature. This is how I celebrate under-represented animals and ecosystems.

What is ONE thing you like to celebrate in your world

Please share your answer in the comments below.

Naomi
xoxo