In 1977, Allen left teaching to focus on the Chicken Farm and his art. Eventually, his name became synonymous with the brightly-colored, whimsical pottery he creates. The Starkeeper Gallery is Southwestern with a distinct flair: a black stilted silhouette reaching for the stars, set against a bold-colored sky. The Big Ass Dancer series also features Allen’s signature vivid palette, juxtaposed with a curvaceous female form in motion. 

In the 1980s, after nearly working himself to death, Allen sold the back half of the Chicken Farm. It eventually changed hands again when Jerry Warnell, a friend of Allen’s, and his wife, purchased it. Warnell, who was looking for a change of pace from his hectic career managing golf resorts, also moved in to the Chicken Farm, where Allen and his wife, Pam Bladine, live.  

When I approached Warnell for our interview, he was outside unloading plants from the bed of his pickup. “It’s spring,” he said, by way of explanation.  

Warnell is the Chicken Farm’s handyman, and on a 60-year old property, there’s always work to be done, he said. He’s also in charge of the Inn at the Art Center, a bed and breakfast comprised of four rooms, one of which encircles the top floor of two old grain silos. Warnell also owns Silo House Restaurant, a quaint, intimate space on the bottom level that he leases to Helen and Craig Keith. 

Keith runs Silo House with her husband, her brother, daughter and mother. Previously known for its fine dining, the restaurant’s dinner menu will soon change, with more vegetarian and gluten-free options. “We’re going a lot more casual, more family-friendly,” she said. 

 Silo House is also moving away from its tradition of requiring reservations, she said, but parties of five or more are still encouraged to call ahead due to the restaurant’s capacity to seat just 39 people at a time.