The Old Chicken Farm...

Warning (and an apology!):

There are a ton of photos in this post, but I just couldn't decide which ones to cut. I apologize but hope that it will be worth whatever time you had to wait for the pictures to download...

It's been awhile since I shared anything new in the shop. OK, it's been awhile since there's been anything truly new in the shop to share. We all have them, those creative voids where nothing new is coming out of the noggin no matter how hard you try (maybe even because you are trying so hard). Well my void had grown to the size of the Grand Canyon by the time we went on vacation in June...

...the Old Chicken Farm Art Center...

And then I went to see my sister in San Angelo, Texas for her birthday. She took me to this wonderful place called The Chicken Farm. I know what you're thinking: "doesn't sound like a place to get the creative juices flowing...sounds kind of stinky, to be honest"...

...est. 1971...

But this is not your typical Chicken Farm.
By the way, I had to be corrected more than once- it is NOT a Chicken RANCH...that's a whole 'nother set of stories there!

...an old phone booth...

The Chicken Farm Art Center is a wonderful little compound in San Angelo, filled with art studios a first class restaurant and a very cute B&B.

...vintage lawn chairs and "no Hunting"...
...maybe that's why all the (fake) birds are perched on the ledge above...



And the grounds were particularly fun for me because they were filled with a wonderful eclectic mix of stuff, from hubcaps to hand painted theater seats to huge metal sculptures to a hand crafted chess table tucked under an arbor covered with grapes. A feast for the senses, with junque and art sharing the same space peacefully...my kind of place, for sure! Not girly or frilly in the least but oh so much FUN!



...just because I liked it....

Sister Sunshine (otherwise known as Green Dragon Dreams) sells her beautiful jewelry at the Chicken Farm the first weekend of just about every month. I have been hearing about the place for a few years now, so this was a treat....

...a bicycle built for two all from junk...

It was hard to get a good shot of the whole thing but this was so awesome! My sister tells me this was a collaborative project, finished by a group artists in one weekend...

....allow me to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Rust...

The close-ups might give you a better idea....all scraps and junk- amazing! I love her curly hair! You can't really see it in the photos but their hands were old forks. Gears and pulleys, rusty rakes and tractor seats, forks and wheel rims...everywhere you looked, you saw castaway broken down items given a new life...my kind of recycling!

...not quite as elaborate as the bicycle, but my son enjoyed trying to get this guy to giddyup...


...it's not just chickens at the Chicken Farm...

I think we shall call this portion of the tour "Only in Texas".
If you are from Texas or have any ties to Texas, you'll know what I mean.

...these antlers are more my speed...


...seriously, not just chicken...


You might be noticing that my pictures are all of the grounds... but there were so many beautiful studios as well...I was just too chicken to ask to take pictures inside...



...handmade chess table and pieces...

This chess table was just to the left of the fountain above. If it hadn't been 105 degrees, I could have seriously seen myself sitting here for the afternoon, under the grapes, enjoying a game of chess (which I would lose no matter who I played because I do not play chess), listening to the water bubble...


If you turned right at the fountain, you came in to this courtyard. Part of the B&B and the restaurant are in this building...

...tennis anyone?

This big guy was just to the other side of the tree framing the right edge of the photo above...


...an interesting door...

...and a little terra cotta cutie....

This area is the background of the "Jumbo McEnroe" shot above...there's another guest room for the B&B and a gallery...

...sweet wildflowers...

I cannot even begin to say how many of these theater seats we passed on at auctions when we lived in Kansas (And the pain! They were so cheap!)...the elements haven't been kind to this set but the hand painted flowers had me at "Hello" nonetheless...charming!

And so there you have it, the three hour tour (at least that's how long it took me to assemble this post) of The Old Chicken Farm (D'oh! I almost typed "Ranch" again!) in San Angelo. If you're ever in West Texas (Fredericksburg is just a few hours away), it's definitely worth a visit...and a great place to get reacquainted with your creative mojo (more on that tomorrow)....

Oh yeah, and on the way home, my sister pulled over so I could take a picture of this....

Even the garage is pink- Oh my!

Until Next Time,