This Spring when COVID-19 took the country by storm I began to self-isolate. As a result a chunk of time opened up for me that made possible a different sort of creative pursuit than my usual ones.
My love of birds is evident, as in the many feathered friends found in my Luminette imagery and painted stained glasswork. In early May a neighbor across the street procured several fertile chicken eggs and placed them under one of her broody hens, resulting in six little chicks who eventually made their way to my yard, but not until I had built a sturdy art-embellished chicken coop.
I had never built a large structure before. But what I did have was the know-how to fabricate other kinds of things. I also had my father's tools and plans for an attractive chicken coop. The promise of chicks on their way inspired me to get it done, and I did.
I see little reason to create something that is lacking in adornment and this chicken coop was no exception. Once the bones of it were built I didn't waste any time adding a cathedral-like fused glass window which is back-it through the clear roof. The nesting box is painted with a bold flower pattern. Red coppery dots adorn the siding. Twinkly solar-powered LED party lights deck the eaves and automatically turn on at night. And that's just what I've done so far.
These sorts of projects inspire me the most, when art can be incorporated into everyday things, when there's no distinction between the two.
