**Words by Amber L-J**
My loyal companions are consumed by wanderlust.
My chickens are always on the move, their bobbing heads often thrusting their bodies forward, onto the next location. They never stay in one place too long.
But like any concerned parent, I always ask them to write, and they have always kept this promise.
I hear the whistle of the postman, and my letters brushing through the envelope slot, landing softly in the hallway. My pooch hears this sound and, wagging excitedly, fetches this for me. As I am finishing my morning coffee, I flick through boring bills and arid advertisements before coming across a postcard.
I see the billowing sand dunes, with the pointed blades of grass waving to me. I see the orange sands warmed by the glowing sunlight which is dipping downward at the end of another day in paradise. I flip the postcard over, and begin to read the next chapter for the chickens who left my garden two summers ago.
They tell me of their experience at the edge of the world, with many other humans present on that gorgeous summer’s eve. The air was smoky with family barbecues (vegetarian friendly they hoped!) and blue cooler bags and flying bottle caps as far as the eye could see.
They frolicked joyfully in the cold sea, before drying out on the warm sand as the sea air ruffled their feathers just as I would after bath times.
Their journey home was one through the most beautiful fields, full of freely overgrown flowers interspersed with passionately red poppies.
The chickens missed me.
I hold the card tenderly in both hands, yearning to join them.
When the next chronicle of their journey is sent in a postcard, I hope to be featured in such a tale.
**Article continued on Page Two**
‘The Long Walk Home’ is an acrylic painting which details the journey for these chickens within the Norfolk fields.
This painting has never been exhibited, and was stored in the studio for some time, with a dark, sombre sky. The canvas was prepared with a red ground colour and PVA glue, scratched as it was drying to create texture. Almost like the long grass blowing in the sand dunes, Lisa said that the painting “suggested itself” to her. It has since been reworked and brightened, with the familiar feature of chickens and their series of adventures continued.
As one of the perfect beach destinations within the United Kingdom, this is a subject matter which is very relatable for the artist and any British viewer. As the country hopes to be eased quickly out of a third lockdown, Lisa daydreams about her future freedom as the summer season approaches:
“Today I took my chickens to the beach & we had a long walk back across the fields. It was windy & there were poppies & other wild flowers amongst the spikey grass.
Well, of course I didn’t really but this definitely happened in my head and studio today!”
The original painting, The Long Walk Home, is available on Lisa’s website.
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