Yesterday I shared the story of Pewter’s fate and how I found him the perfect home but, in the end, didn’t have the heart to re-home him. This little DIY (which you might have already spotted in the photo below) is a continuation of that story…
The day before I was supposed to drop Pewter off at his new home, I emailed and said I couldn’t part with him. The woman understood completely. She is a “chicken person” too and people who raise backyard chickens just understand each other. Even though I was relieved, I couldn’t sleep that night because I was worried that I had made the wrong decision. I started to troll the classifieds, mindlessly looking through the furniture and home decor to distract me – and that’s when I spotted an 18″ tall plaster rooster for $8 (similar to this one). I messaged the seller and arranged to pick up the sculpture the next day – the day I was supposed to have re-homed Pewter. Instead of dropping Pewter off at his new home, I ended up buying an effigy of him. I hadn’t searched or looked for a rooster sculpture, it just crossed my path, so it seemed to me that the Universe was telling me I made the right decision to keep my rooster – or at least that’s how I chose to interpret it, lol…
But then it got even more interesting. The woman selling the rooster recognized me. I didn’t recognize her though, so I chalked it up to my mysterious twin who roams the city, getting into trouble. When she asked me why I was in the market for a large and heavy decorative rooster, I launched into my stories about chickens, and why Pewter is so special. (DON’T give me an excuse to talk about chickens!) But one sentence in, the woman said, “wait – I know this story. I know this rooster. You’re Dans le Lakehouse”! The woman I bought the rooster from is a blog reader!! It was such a lovely experience to meet and chat with her (she’s an amazing photographer). As I was leaving she asked, “will you paint him turquoise?” lol.
I believe that it is a plaster sculpture, but I’m not 100% sure of the material. I liked the plaster and for a normal human, it’s a beautiful sculpture. But for a #crazychickenlady like me, I wanted it to match my real rooster, so I decided to paint it black! First, a little primer…
If it were summer, I’d just blast it with a primer + paint spray paint, but winter projects necessitate using a brush.
I let it dry thoroughly and then applied a coat of black acrylic paint…
Before it could dry fully, I swept on a brushstroke or two of green and teal metallic paint to the tail feathers. I’m not a faux finish type of person, but I wanted a tiny bit of shimmer to mimic Pewter’s gorgeous teal and green plumage.
He’s becoming quite the striking rooster! But that’s where the similarities between the real rooster and my rooster sculpture end, because I didn’t paint the eyes, feet, or comb. I prefer the rooster monochrome, because it looks like a striking modern sculpture painted all black. I may be chicken obsessed, but I still have my modern aesthetic! I think. Modern chicken decor is a thing – just check out this mod white rooster sculpture!
I keep moving him around the house to confuse Hubby so hopefully he doesn’t notice when I start moving real chickens inside. I like how this rooster sculpture mostly blends in when it’s in front of the fireplace.
But right now he’s in the kitchen/dining area – a rooster brings good luck, right? They’re certainly popular, you can buy so many different styles!
But how many pieces of chicken themed decor is too many? (Asking for a friend).
P.S. If you’re shopping for anyone with chickens – or have chickens! – check out my curated picks right here. It’s basically a list of chicken things I have and love – and things I want!
