What came first: the chicken or the egg? Karen was prompted to seek the answer after visiting her parents in the Black Isle of Scotland, where her neighbours keep chickens, and her daily alarm is the crow of the rooster at the crack of dawn. However, besides the extremely annoying wake up call, she loves chickens and although mundane, find them to be taken for granted. When you look at them up close, they are truly beautiful and extraordinary birds with amazing plumage and colours that make each one unique—something Karen wanted to celebrate with this print.

 

Karen loves how they frequently reward us with eggs and their sweet little chicks. When drawing the print itself, she wanted to create something different to her typical textile, creating a looser style. So instead of intricate items thrown across the print, she focused on the markings and details of the feathers giving each bird its own unique look.

 

Finally, she loved the idea of chickens for spring because with Easter and the ideas of a fresh start abloom, chickens feel optimistic. She hopes one day she can have chickens of her own and have control of her own little bit of nature at home, creating new life and reconnecting with where our food comes from.