Kat Ojeda: Chicken Art As Therapy

In May 2022 I started posting profiles of artists, crafters and writers who depicted poultry in their work. Some of those folks were inspired by the imagery of birds, while others had a flock of their own and wanted to share their love of chickens.

It’s been 32 months and this is the 30^th post in the series ‘When Art Meets Chickens’. I love that Kat has combined her artistic abilities to create a beautiful mural full of images of nature and chickens on the side of her shed that’s part of her poultry pen.

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I’m a Native Texan and I live in Pearland, which is a big suburb southwest of Houston. I’ve been working in aviation for 11 years and I also I paint, or at least I do now, while I’m figuring out my next chapter. I used to paint as a kid all the time before smart phones. I was grounded a lot so painting was my outlet when I wasn’t allowed to see my friends.

Once I joined the workforce I didn’t have time for it anymore. That was until this spring when I decided I needed a change for my mental health. I was working a very stressful job. I was miserable. I had no joy in my work and endured terrible unprofessional management. After seven years I quit in February of this year. I either needed therapy or art. Being that I was without an income I chose art to reset before joining the workforce again. I didn’t have a plan, I just knew I wanted to paint something that would bring me joy and a feeling of peace in my backyard. I dug out all my old paint and brushes and decided to paint my shed. 

What influences your work?

I recently heard a quote from a show that went something like, “When the world is still, creativity can flow”.  It’s not a direct Tolkien quote but it’s from the Rings of Power program and it’s absolutely resonated with me. That’s exactly how I am. The biggest influence for me is the absence of distractions. Today we have so many: work, family, smart phones and, of course, our lovely chickens, which are a welcomed distraction. 

What’s your history with creating art?

Little to none. I took art in high school and art history in college so I have a deep appreciation for art in many forms but as far as my own practice, I only had access to acrylics, watercolours or sketching. My work was so demanding for so long I hadn’t been able to create anything for years. I would love to experiment with other forms one day like pottery, welding, or woodworking.

How has your practice changed over time?

I used to be pretty good for a high school kid but when I joined the military there wasn’t time and now I’m not as good as I used to be but I’m working on it. I’m doing some canvases to help recall my skills. This shed project was the first thing I had painted in over seven years. 

What work is most fulfilling?

I’m just getting back into painting after so many years and since I’m still rusty I’d say the most fulfilling part is just the way my mind goes quiet and my hand just takes over with the brush. It’s great way for me to think through things or not think about things.

What was that process like?

I didn’t have a formal process. My back yard is a little over half an acre. Half of that is a “wild meadow” for the bugs, birds, chickens and my cats and dogs to enjoy. I seed it yearly with native wildflowers seeds, grass seed, and native wild onions. It’s gorgeous in the spring, full of life: bluebirds, cedar waxwings, mockingbirds, crows, wrens and even the occasional indigo buntings take delight. What draws them in are all the bugs. So many different species of butterflies, bees, grasshoppers, moths, praying mantis, ladybugs, spiders and beetles move in which, of course, makes my chickens very happy too. We even get a few fireflies in early summer as long as the city has been spraying for mosquitoes. It’s absolutely gorgeous. This was my inspiration, I wanted to paint my own yard and capture what it looks like in the spring to view year round. 

What memorable responses have you had to your work?

Everyone that comes over immediately wants to go see it. I painted so many little bugs and other critters amongst the grass and flowers that it takes a few times looking at it to see them all. All the feedback has been positive but mostly people tell me they had no idea I could paint because I just haven’t painted in so long. 

What motivates you to create?

I always want to paint. The greatest motivator for me is having no distraction. If I’m stressed and working a lot not only do I have no time but I won’t finish. My to-do list has to be finished so that when I carve out time to paint I don’t feel guilty about all the other things I feel like I should be doing. 

Your experience with chickens

I was raised in Beaumont. I didn’t know anyone with chickens but I wanted some ever since I was nine (1998) when I stayed at a friend’s house that had backyard chickens. My parents thought it was weird and gross that this family had chickens but I thought it was so rad. The idea of fresh eggs and chickens with cute names as pets stuck with me.

I finally got my girls in 2019 and currently have 22 hens. I’m very lucky to have an amazing chicken breeder, a local badass female-owned business right on the coast, just down the road. I have all the cool ones: Silkies, Sebrights, huge Orpingtons, Easter Eggers, Cochin, Marans and Ameraucana. 

How have they impacted your life?

I had wanted chickens for a long time. I can’t imagine not having them. I love them. I find it so relaxing to drink a glass of wine on the back porch and watch them chase bugs. What surprised me though was how different all their personalities are and the little different “peeps” and “coos” make me realize how complex they are. It took me owning chickens to realize we don’t give them enough credit. They are smart, have emotions and love me. Of course, they may love that I feed them too but I’m okay with it because they bring me so much joy. 

How do chickens inspire your work?

For this project I wanted my chickens to be in the forefront of my painting. We lost Betty (named after Betty White), our alpha hen last year. She was such a great bird from the first group of chickens we brought home. She was a spunky Leghorn that ran to me to pick her up. Betty would ride on the lawnmower with me and came in the house if the back door got left open. Betty was the best. She had chronic egg yolk peritonitis and had a shunt put in that blocked the egg development process but after about a year and a half it failed and she got really sick again. We were devastated when we couldn’t save her. I wanted to memorialize her. I knew I couldn’t paint all my girls but Betty would definitely be there. I included two of our other favorites, Kylo Hen and Beans. Now that this project is finished I want to do some chicken portraits. They really are beautiful birds and fun to paint.

This is my first mural. I’ve only painted on canvas before but it’s been years.  Nature brings me great peace. Spring was coming so why not celebrate it with a meadow of flowers? My flowers in my meadow. This is my fifth year of having a meadow. We have a chain link fence with a treeline and a retention pond so our view is beautiful in the spring. My meadow complements it and provides a food source for native birds and bugs. This is exactly what I wanted to paint that would give me peace. 

Who did the work? 

All me. My husband knew I needed to decompress and sort my head out by myself and let me paint whatever I wanted on the shed with no input. 

How long did it take?

Three months. I painted almost every day for at least an hour. I had to finish before the Texas summer heat hit. 

Plans for the future?

Our coop was thrown together with trash wood. It’s warm and dry but it’s pretty ugly. I want to make something adorable this fall to match the mural. I’ve already seen lots of amazing inspiration for coop design on this blog. 

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Thanks to Kat Ojeda for sharing her story and art, used with permission.