Today we’d like to introduce you to Sally Linville.
Hi Sally, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I grew up on a farm in Lyons, Kansas where the sky is big and the days can be slow. My parents gave me a flock of baby chicks for my 12th birthday. As they grew, the chickens provided me with countless hours of entertainment. I loved their quirky personalities, beautiful feathers, and miraculous eggs.
Fast forward many years to a furniture studio in my graduate studies at K-State where my assignment was to design and build two small pieces of furniture. I knew I wanted to express the delight I had found in my pet chickens through my work. Looking to French artists Claude and Francois Lalanne’s whimsical sculptures for inspiration, I tried my hands at traditional art processes of felt making, wood turning, and bronze casting to see if I could create furniture that was functional yet fantastic. The results were “Henny” and “Penny,” the original Chicken Footstools.
Over ten years later, a vibrant community has formed around the continued creation of these chickens. They are still sculpted by hand with natural materials of wool, wood, and bronze. Each chicken is unique and holds the imprint of these materials, processes, and makers involved in its creation. They have been exhibited nationally, are curated by specialty retailers, and are “adopted” into homes and spaces of collectors around the world. Most importantly, the chickens continue to make people smile.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Buckminster Fuller once said, “There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”
This mysterious transformation rings true to me both in our creative studio process and in my own life experience.
I am learning to recognize and appreciate changes that come with each new season. Because relationships in my personal and work life are intertwined, some of my greatest struggles dance around a delicate search for balance. There is a time and place for it all— letting go, digging in, staying open, showing up, waiting expectantly, practicing patience, remaining quiet, speaking out, falling flat, dreaming big, stepping in faith, welcoming something new, mourning, and celebrating. They all work together for good. I am thankful to be surrounded by kind, gifted people who believe in me and are willing to share life with me and these silly chickens.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The City Girl Farm studio sculpts natural materials—wool, wood, and bronze—into sophisticated barn-yard “Chicken Footstools” to bring delight into the world. Every chicken is unique in posture and personality and can function as a footstool. A turned wood egg-shaped core stands on bronze feet and is connected to a bronze beak. The feathers are created using traditional fiber art techniques then sculpted, and upholstered by hand. This process is affectionately known as the “Art of Chickening.”
The idea of the Chicken Footstools was a gift to me and has become a gift to others. I am proud to steward the remarkable community that has formed around their creation and collection. The artistry of the chickens continues to evolve through collaborations at our studio and beyond. The inspiration never ends! We are committed to quality craftsmanship, ensuring that each chicken is created in a spirit that brings joy into the hearts of all who see them and a lasting inspiration to the spaces in which they come to reside. As our community of artisans, collectors, collaborators, and trade-partners grows, we continue to delight in welcoming the stories of others into this rich process of making.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My work is largely about treasuring who we are as people—our memories, our senses, and our relationships with one another and the world in which we live. I feel happy when I catch glimpses of how simple, everyday moments connect us to deeper truths. These glimpses come through many paths—the smell of lilacs in Spring, holding hands with my daughter, a laugh shared at the studio—to name just a few. I hope my life and work encourage others to slow down and enjoy these moments, recognizing our lives are precious and considering the unique part we all play in a grand design.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://thecitygirlfarm.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecitygirlfarm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecitygirlfarm
Image Credits
Kelsey Mahoney Photography
We Are The Parsons
The City Girl Farm
