Some Rabbit Sketches

Just pencil and paper. I love this plain medium, and I feel that one can reach some emotion, some underlying concept by simple means. Here are a few sketches on the rabbit theme. All three have something that is not easy to define.

Mother Snowball SOLD

Lola Hiding AVAILABLE

Vanilla in the Brambles AVAILABLE

More Acanthus Blue Rabbits

Talented William Morris was truly a king of design. In the 1880's William Morris was trying to furnish and complete "Red House", a home built especially for him. Unable to find what he wanted in the age of mass production and factories, Morris and some friends started Morris and Co. This was the rebirth of the artist-craftsman, who designed and carried out the work. Even when Morris used craftsmen to make his staircases, textiles, etc, he insisted on mastering all the techniques himself.

I am so lucky. 24 years ago I discovered Cape Town and was very fond of St Georges Mall. There, on a table on a sidewalk, I bought the large book: "William Morris Designs and Patterns" by Norah Gillow. I page through it daily and also do my rough copies of the wallpaper and tile patterns to use as backgrounds for my latest series of rabbits Here are two more inspired by the acanthus design: 

Acanthus Blue Rabbit no 2
The background was painted in gouache and ink
and the furry bunny in water-soluble oils
SOLD

Acanthus Blue Rabbit no 3
I am an excessive doodler, it is also thinking time,
so here I almost could not stop
The background was painted in gouache and ink
and the furry bunny in water-soluble oils
SOLD

Sketches and Doodles of Rabbits Lead to New Ideas

This can be called playing around, but I love sketching and hope by doing so I can chance upon something new to paint. I also have very important decisions to make in my life and thinking is something one can do the same time as sketching. I will post the sketches here and then in the next post, show something Very Good that happened afterwards.

Snow has lovely lines. I sketched her on newsprint paper on my large flip-file.
 If you know me on Facebook, you will see a gentle photo of Snow with Dexter,
the Alsation on last night's post.

This is Snow, the little bunny that has been in some of my blog stories.

Mmmm, too much like a greeting card, but we will keep trying!

Now, at last, there is some character in my sketch.

A lot of character here. The sketch quickly became the property of a friend!

And here I started doodles in ink and pencil, getting my background ideas from
 the designs of William Morris. The forms go into play with the bunny shapes.
Can you see the connection that has formed with "His Master's Voice"?

A feeling of mystery as the bunny jumps through the William Morris foliage!

I already had such good suggestions as to what the bunnies are doing: males,
 waiting to see what females will come past?  William Morris designs are immensely intricate
and I lack patience to do them neatly, but somehow,
something new was born from these doodles, and I will show them next time.

The Circle of Life

It is probably fitting that I have finished this painting, called "The Circle of Life" in my birthday week. It is open to many interpretations. Of course, like in fairy tales, the story can be softened for children. It can also be serious or threatening, if you want.

"The Circle of Life" by Marie Theron
Oil on Canvas 500mm x 400mm

Let's start at 12 o' clock. There is that cute bunny Sprinkles, our little joker, who looks masked with those big black spots at the eyes. We start this cycle with her.  There are two large rabbits, male and female in the center, to symbolize a prolific breeding pair, surrounded by lots of little ones. Now go anti-clockwise from Sprinkles onward, and there is Snowball, the lovely white rabbit and her friend Peter, black with a white stripe down his nose. Snowball and Peter, as we know had six girl rabbits. It is a life of breeding and eating that is awaiting them. A grey rabbit nibbles away at lettuce and may have a few flowers for desert. I could not help but posing our darlings, Lola (at 6 o' clock), and Vanilla again. They are full of life and ready for anything. Raspberry, one of the 6 sisters poses as a dead rabbit at the end of the life cycle. (I promise that Raspberry is alive and well and living in Durban). She is posing, remember! Our newest bunny, Snow, poses as the caregiver. That name, Snow, causes lots of misunderstandings at my grandchildren's place. Everyone coming through the door is greeted with: "Come and see, Snow!", which of course sounds funny in Durban, one of the hottest towns in South Africa. And then, to restart the circle of life, there is a tiny, dozy, fluffy baby rabbit.