The Most Exotic Hen House (60x60cm)
**Words written by Amber L-J**
“At my grandmother’s house, there was one rule: no one was to sit on the dark pink, velvet sofa.
It always looked so inviting, with deep, sunken cushions encased by wide, pleated arms. But this was more of an aspirational piece than one of comfort, reserved for the most sophisticated company. With no family or friends meeting this unachievable standard, it was as if my grandmother was expecting a visit from royalty that never came.
This being said, a flock of pure, white hens with crimson beaks were treated as loyal pets which roamed the estate freely. But even their presence was not welcome anywhere near my grandmother’s most prized possession, with the living room door closed at all times.
One day, when my grandmother was moving to a new house, the family helped move her furniture outside in preparation for the moving van. The chickens were to travel with us.
A home which held so many fond memories, I walked through each vacant room, with only faded pencil marks left in the kitchen to mark the youth and growth spurts of myself and my siblings. Over the years, the chickens’ claws had scraped along each floorboard, also leaving their mark.
On that crisp, summer morning, as we say our final goodbye, I twist the door handle. A sudden gust of wind outside rushes through the wild flowers, with speckled sunlight dancing on the red-clay, earthen brick walls. This force of nature means a dramatic thud of the door fully ajar.
Before my grandmother can react, the chickens seize their opportunity; they dash outside, at different speeds but with the same destination in mind. The most exotic, and the most forbidden, hen house.
As my grandmother looks on in pure exasperation, the chickens burrow down happily on the sofa cushions, basking in the sunshine.”
**Article continued on Page 2**
Chickens have been a frequent subject in Lisa’s artworks, as she states:
“Anyone who has owned or watched hens will recognise the way they have different characters. Alert heads often pop up, whilst others nestle down contentedly.”
‘The Most Exotic Hen House’ was painted in 2017 and is staged in a very familiar setting: the front of Lisa’s house. It was so popular that it was commissioned as a metre square portrait, to be painted using the customer’s own doorway and sofa, complete with hens – a familiarity which was translated seamlessly to their home in Belgravia, London, England.
The original artwork, ‘The Most Exotic Hen House’, is available to buy from British Contemporary Art.
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