I launched my series ‘When Art Meets Chickens’ in May 2022 and am surprised that I have gone on to create 31 posts spotlighting artists, writers, and craftspeople who feature chickens in their art. Whether they actually keep chickens or not, folks seem to love those iconic creatures with the disproportionately round bodies, small heads and the way they wobble when running.
For more than two years I’ve been searching for chicken art created by kids. It seems like a no-brainer that children might find birds an appealing subject. I’ve found a few posted by proud parents in online poultry groups but it’s been difficult to track down the artists’ bios or even their names. I’ve done my best to reach out to ascertain that info, but sometimes have come up short. Other mums have been more than happy to see their kids’ work acknowledged and appreciated.
Every child is an artist until they’re told they’re not an artist. – John Lennon
Valhalla, age unknown
Larissa, 15
Unknown, 16
I’m a mother to two boys in Pennsylvania, 8 and 10 years old, the wife of my high school sweetheart. I homeschool my children, care for my family, and work at home part-time on my business creating resources for teachers and students and selling them online. While my degree is in teaching, my passion is photography, specifically documentary photography, as well as mastering baking and cooking allergy-friendly foods for our family with food allergies. I also love creating art, growing fruit, vegetables, and herbs in my garden, and loving on our chickens! My 10-year old drew me this quirky chicken scene so I could colour it with watercolours! Nothing fancy, just relaxing, but what cracks me up is how his pictures like this remind me of those Where’s Waldo? scenes where there ’s just so many little things and details going on wherever you look! I love it! – Tina
Jase, 10, is homeschooled in 4th grade. He’s got a great, quirky sense of humour and we have self-published and sold locally several of his books, two of them funny comic books. Jase loves animal facts and knows more on this subject than most people. He’s incredibly creative, has a talent for writing, is incredibly thoughtful, inquisitive, and a deep thinker. He loves our chickens and is very tender with them.
Eli, 8, is homeschooled in 2nd grade. Eli is a ball of energy that’s always making us laugh. He’s very hands on, a good problem solver, and creative in the things he likes to build or make. Eli is one of the most generous people we know, always making or buying gifts for people, or doing acts of service to help them. He’s a hard worker that doesn’t complain when he’s doing any kind of work. Eli also adores our chickens. It’s not unusual to see him laying down in the garden bed with a chicken snuggled sleepily against his chest.
Unknown, 11
For the first time in Benbrook Middle School history a student has won State for art! A huge congratulations to Junior, 15-year old Sophia on winning. She was also honoured with the coveted Gold Seal Title as one of the top 150 pieces of 32,000 students who competed in the competition. Sophia was one of five students to win State, which means her art will be traveling across Texas on display for others to see, putting the spotlight on our amazing artist. This is a huge accomplishment as she has spent 40+ hours creating this amazing piece made entirely with pencil crayons.
An amazing 10-year old boy custom made this for me! He’s saving up for a bike. I was so excited I had to share. – Sarah
Ron’s three grandkids, age unknown
Kaitlyn, 15, has two roosters and ten hens and does lots of drawing.
Josie, 12, attends painting courses at a local art school in our town in Connecticut. We have been raising chickens for about a year and a half and are having so much fun learning about them!. Currently, we have 12 chickens, all hens, of several types (Barred Rock, Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Light Brahma, and Ameracauna). We all love the daily thrill of collecting all of the beautifully coloured that our hens lay.
Danna, a 4th generation Gabriola Islander invites her friends and family that visit over the summer to do a painting of a chicken. The above were done by her grandchildren Cameron and Ben.
Alayna, 12,is an artist based out of Minnesota, USA. She loves birds and especially chickens and helps care for twelve hens. Lady Lillian, also known as Lily, is her favorite hen – a large, golden Brahma. She’s a sixth grade homeschooler who enjoys traveling, horseback riding and biking around the neighbourhood with friends and her siblings. Her favorite way to unwind is with a yummy snack and a good book (bonus points if it’s a graphic novel). Alayna’s favorite art media are acrylic paints, coloured pencils, markers and crayons. Her artwork often features chickens or horses as these are her most beloved animals. We love our chickens, they are more pets than anything else. Alayna even had a chicken themed birthday party when she turned 12! The digital drawing was done using Procreate.
Thanks to everyone who shared their chicken art. Featured photo credit: Jessica Elliott
If you’re an artist, or the parent of an artist, that would like to share chicken art drop me a line using the ‘contact’ button on my homepage. And if you have info on some of the unnamed artists above I’d love to give them credit.
“Celebrating the intersection of creativity and chickens“
Bitchin' Chickens 
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