WHEN PLAIN ISN'T

IRIDESCENCE oil on canvas 48 x 24" sold

In a friend's backyard flock, there is a plain little hen who lays the most gloriously blue-green eggs. She also turns out to have this other glorious color trick: in full sun, her humble black feathers transform into iridescent jewels. Optical wizardry. The astonishing thing is that she is such a very under-appreciated genius. This unsung color hero is the beleaguered lowest girl in the pecking order. She has to be fed separately to make sure she gets enough to eat. I will not make the obvious comments about social injustices and the blindness of gallus gallus domesticus (or the rest of us). I will merely say that over and over again I have been made to see that things I thought ordinary are in some way most extraordinary. Keeping eyes, ears, mind, and heart open are hard to do, but the rewards can be astounding. Bless you, "Vinnie," for both your avian beauty and your patient perseverance. Look carefully, friends. Good things often come in plain-seeming packages.