Zippy

Zippy (2022)

Artist: Janet Austin

Media: Stainless steel, blown glass and glass mosaic

Dimensions: 3' H x 5' W x 1.5' D

Location: Private Collection, Rancho Mirage CA

Price: $25,000

Zippy, a statue of the Greater Roadrunner, is part of a private garden in Rancho Mirage, a mid-century modern desert community in Southern California. He is installed on a redrock boulder that is typical of the desert environment. The Greater Roadrunners’ wild habitat finds them living in the deserts and arid grasslands of the Southwestern USA and Northern Mexico.

A distinctive feature of Greater Roadrunners is their zygodactyl feet, which describes the orientation of their four talons, two pointed forward and two pointed backward. This helps them maintain their balance while running along the ground (up to 20 mph!) where they catch various bugs and lizards and small mammals for their dinner. Although they are competent flyers, they nest on the ground as well, hiding in dense shrubs and large rockpiles.

Greater Roadrunners are streaked with iridescent feathers, and Zippy’s colorful mosaic tile highlights this attribute.