Rabbit
I’ve been debating about where to begin, which piece to share first - but at the end of my debating, I figured it’s probably best to begin at the beginning. This is the first word I sketched out, the first word I painted. Basically the word that convinced me this whole series needed to come into being.
Humble.
Now, this is an interesting word because it has two sides that battle it out within me on the regular.
See, I find such beauty and comfort in being humble - in recognizing that I will be a student of nature and time and living until my last day. I believe that nearly everything I do is informed by the outdoors and/or my people - and as such, the things I make I make in homage to them. This has always helped me to live and work with immense gratitude, and when I think of the ways that my work ties back to my many inspirations, I get inspired all over again. In that headspace, I can’t wait to make something new and continue the cycle of passing on beauty.
The other side of that coin, though, is the easy way in which I can humble myself right into nothingness. If I’m not careful, I get to the point where I don’t feel like I can ask for help without being an imposition. I fear drawing attention to myself because it seems too much like I’m drawing focus away from my natural/four-legged/human teachers. I am not able to fully accept compliments or praise because I feel like I haven’t earned them. The end result is that I try to hide my skills and gifts instead of sharing them.
In trying to capture the spirit of ‘humble,’ these two opposing sides of myself somehow agreed - and I was sent in search of the balance that I so often struggle to find. I was looking for an animal that embodied a quiet spirit but also great magic, used instinctually but without bravado.
In the end, it was Rabbit who appeared.
Her eyes see all things, up close and far away. Her ears catch the slightest crinkle of grass and her nose is forever drawing information from the barest scent, carried in on the shifting wind. There’s also the way that she’s ready fly into movement in a moment, skimming the earth with a speed and agility that is utterly astounding.
Small, brown-grey, unassuming - yet Rabbit doesn’t overthink the way I do. She exists in harmony with the world around her, a small and beautiful piece of a much larger puzzle, but she never fears standing out in her own way. Look at those ears, those mighty hind legs - her form may be a reflection of her environment and role as a prey animal, but when the time comes for her to use her gifts? There is no hesitation, and it is beautiful.
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Original watercolor painting (8X6) available in December - date and time TBD