The Whispering Rabbit and Of Those Other Stories

Childhood is often romanticized as a time of innocence, yet mysterious . In this large wood panel painting, I strip away that idealized image and reveal the contradictions within and emphasize the paradox of clarity and confusion coexisting. The first layer of the subjects was painted with washed strokes in primary colors that creates an underlayer with a watercolor effect to mimics fragmented memories. I then layered acrylic paint in sections of episode: children awkwardly playing with rabbits, a group wearing bunny masks with torches heading to an unknown place, a child smirking behind a tree, and another drown in the pool. The scenes combine realism and surrealism, with hidden rabbit images connecting the episodes in an elusive way. The rabbit, symbolizing abundance, vulnerability, and transformation, aligns yet contrasts with the children. My work explores and challenges the murkiness that clouds our understanding of youth, where moments of violence, sex, and play blur together in the haze of youthful perception.