There is excellent energy in this backyard scene, where a hen and her carefully guarded chick are looking for food. Light energizes the yellow-green grass and pretty flowers. It shines on mum and her chick as they walk, and their shadows are cast across the grass.
The artist used an almost diagonal structure in this painting. The focus is on the subjects, the hen and her chick. In order to enhance the viewing experience, he placed them just off centre on the canvas. They appear to be communicating with each other.
The pair’s softly coloured feathers are highlighted by red combs. The red colour is in contrast to the green colours in the background.
The brush techniques used in this painting, where coloured dots and dabs are placed over each other, (stippling), are similar to those used by Impressionist painters.
There is a loving air to the painting, and a peaceful mood. The viewer can almost feel the hen’s soft feathers.
The artist captured the ‘way it was’, very well and this painting shows another gentle moment in the artist’s life.
Acrylic on Masonite, date unknown. (Cleaned and framed.)
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