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Walter Hagedorn Art
unique and whimsical
Welcome to Walter Hagedorn Art
Explore the whimsical world of chicken art by Walter Hagedorn, a renowned fine arts oil painter from Southern Vermont. Discover giclee prints, original oil paintings, stickers, and more that bring joy to all ages. Join us in celebrating creativity and artistry in every form!
About the Artist
For the past 30 years of my life, I have been a creator of things related to the act of play, specifically designing and developing adapted toys and learning aids for children with disabilities. As I began to retire from that path, I found myself exploring the arts using oil paints passed down to me from my dad and his father as well. With absolutely no formal art training, I have been able to approach painting freely, unbound by the influence of others. I believe that when we are in the act of creation, whether it be original oil paintings or the production of giclee prints, we are doing the work of the Divine, arranging atoms into new possibilities.
"WHY DO YOU PAINT CHICKENS?"
This is the question people ask me most often when they see my art. My first response is quick and simple: 'Everybody loves chickens!".
However, I do believe there is a deeper chemistry involved with this fowl body of work that has been my painting passion for the past five years. Archaeological evidence shows that human beings and chickens have coexisted for approximately 8,000 years. For millennia, chickens have provided us with nourishment and companionship.
Present day estimates show that there are 25 billion chickens at any moment living on Earth! They provide us with 1.6 Trillion eggs annually. The average human consumes 150 eggs per year providing us an important source of protein and healthy fats to fuel our brains and muscles. Because of this long symbiotic history, I believe that there is a deeper genetic and spiritual link with humans and chickens. We are familiar with them.. if not in this lifetime, we most likely have relationship with them in our many past lifetimes. For thousands of years we’ve been fed by them, and in return we’ve watched them, painted them, and lived beside them.
I truly believe there’s a deeper link here. Not just nutritional, but cellular and energetic. Maybe even karmic.
That’s why my chicken oil paintings seem to resonate. People of all ages, from all walks of life, see them and smile.
As a self proclaimed 'Locally famous chicken artist', my wish is simple: that when you look at these paintings, you may smile and feel a little joy. And maybe a little of that old, ancestral nourishment, too — for the body and the spirit.