Author: ThatLady

I draw rabbits.
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Where’s my TV box? (that’s Ohio for Television Remote)

Ahhh~ those reticent little creatures called “rabbits.” So demure. So quiet, As rabbitron.com states:

RABBITS ARE QUIET
They are good pets for apartments, as no one will ever complain about the noise from your pet.

  • Is this the face of “Demure”?

As an aside, I have to stop them right there. I’m sure the article goes on to reveal more, but let’s face it … being a human servant to these beasts, I can honestly say that no, no one will complain about the noise (per se) in my building unless it’s about me yalping because I have just experienced a surprise attack of being bitten on the toe. (or other body parts).

  • She preys upon my vulnerabilities.

“Wear a pair of pants around the house!” They said.

  • Cloaking Device Deactivated

Or the all-hours-day-and-night of vacuum time combining the clinking of turds with the squealing of the vacuum as that one stinking piece of hay gets stuck sideways and I have to tear the hose apart to fetch the faithful hook (taped coat hanger) to fish out said offending piece of hay.

  • That satisfying turd sound until …

But I digress.

Civilians “know” that rabbits ARE good pets for apartments. Absolutely. The managers should not even charge extra for them! Rabbits are small, harmless and take up such little space!

The rest of us know that we will NEVER get that deposit back. Well, the joke’s on them! I didn’t want that deposit back anyhow.

  • Sammy sits proudly upon my deposit check
  • What happened to the rug to cover up the chewed carpet

But I believe this is a diversionary tactic. This isn’t about the chewed up carpets, baseboards, tile flooring, walls … This is about something far more sinister:

The Lagomorphs’ collective personal vendetta against modern technology. These seemingly innocent lovelies are doing their best to hold humanity back. Oh, yes. You can hide the cords, spray the cords with a bunny-safe deterrent, wrap the cords, cover the cords. I know. I KNOW. But these determined (but adorable) evil geniuses will find a way.

I present to the court: Exhibits A, B, C, D, E, and FFFFF

  • Death to holiday lights!
  • Classic Black tape decorates the floor
  • Full Festive Red adds life to the (now) dim room!
  • The main light source is housed in its own cage these days
  • The vacuum is particularly tasty
  • WHAT. Gah! Dangit. Where’s the tape …

*A special shout-out to the beautiful hand model.

The exhibits above don’t even include all of the USB cords!

  • The ones that look like this —
  • and this.
  • Only six?!

SO. MANY. USB CORDS.

Let us not forget the missing buttons on the television remote.

In fact, I can’t even find the remote. One of them threw the remote. It’s probably stashed with a third of my art supplies that are missing. But what does it matter when your cable looks like this?

FUN FACT: When getting a replacement at the cable company I was asked: Cat or Rabbit?

My GOD. It’s a conspiracy! Or should I say —

  • CATspiracy!!
    DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN

[ Well. No. I now find that I should NOT have said that. ]

They SHANT WIN this war! My cords will prevail! (I have next-day shipping).

You know what though? — perhaps all of the above could be used to deter people who impulse buy/buy without researching rabbits! Let us all turn to merriam-webster.com and bow our heads:

Definition of lagomorph. : any of an order (Lagomorpha) of gnawing herbivorous mammals having two pairs of incisors in the upper jaw one behind the other and comprising the rabbits, hares, and pikas.

They have the makings of a horror movie!

Then present this truth:

::DROPS MIC::

PS. I found the remote. It has half a button missing.

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Existential Ennui

I am suffering from existential Ennui. At least, I think I am. Or was. Surely, I will be some time in the near future. Just to be sure, I Googled it. The first hit was an article titled: “How to Tell Whether You’ve Got Angst, Ennui, or Weltschmerz.”

Well … “Why not all three?! I *am* an artist, after all. Weltschmerz – there’s a “Fred and Ethel” joke in there somewhere. Alas.
(I give to all of you, a dark self-indulgent sigh).

Late at night, I tend to ruminate around in my head and get trapped in my thoughts. And in that 2:00 am alone-ness by the glow of my phone, I am usually surfing the more bizarre corners of the internet. Also, throw in some Pink Floyd to augment the trip. Everything needs a soundtrack.

Between ponderings of life’s meaninglessness, lack of motivation, and knowing I really should fold that laundry, I often wake the house with cackling laughter. Oddly, the dark humor of others’ presented in sardonic meme-form is some of the funniest brilliance I have found. The irony alone gives me the warm fuzzies.

It sure beats yelling at coworkers and/or openly weeping in a parking lot filled with vaping Karens in yoga pants. No offense if you are a vaping Karen in yoga pants – but COME ON.

Anyway, I thought I would share some of the memes that just did it for me.

  • Who asked ya?
  • My song list is titled “SUICIDAL DITTIES”
  • This one hangs above my desk.
  • HAHAHAHAHAHA
  • How would YOU color this?
  • Breathe.
  • Me.
  • Still laughing at this one.

Ok. Well, these are the ones that don’t have any swears. It turns out I severely limited my meme options for this particular blog. Is this a symbolic act of what I do to myself in life? (See what I did there?)
I share all of the above to say this:

This week Regarding Comic is chronicling the existential crisis of Lance. It’s ok to laugh.
ENJOY!

  • Yeet me to the sky – I’m learning to fly!
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El-ahrairah

‘El-ahrairah, your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince With A Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.’ And El-ahrairah knew then that although he would not be mocked, Frith was still his friend.

Richard Adams ̶ Watership Down

I recently took part in a charity auction called HOPAPALOOZA. Proceeds went to the Ohio House Rabbit Rescue. Each artist was given a large rabbit (a surprise, I know). Then it was up to us to paint it how we saw fit. Of course, I cannot simply jump into a project. I must overthink a project.

The following is my project statement and photos of the journey (and peanut gallery comments).

El-ahrairah fell into pride. Believing himself and his people to be the strongest in the world, he heeded not the warning of Frith. You can probably heap on a bit of vanity as well. He also paid the price for this folly. Frith confronted him and proclaimed that he would not be mocked and cursed El-ahrairah (see opening quote).
Frith is, however, still a friend and allowed for methods of escape and preservation.

I easily relate to El-ahraira. Aren’t we all fallen spirits?

Frith

Frith is an Old English word meaning “peace; protection; safety, security.”

Inspector Lance
Bare-Boned
Black Gesso
My assistant masking out lines
A lovely earth toned mix
Oooooo
Detailing in my Pajamas

My piece is a stylized El-ahraira : a symbolic examination (and reminder) of what it is to be “human”.
Our humanity is symbolized by the Earth-tones and structure of the guiding lines (our need for order and architecture).
What may not be recognized in this piece is the black base-coat symbolizing the Black Rabbit of Inlé (our mortality) – and yet it IS visible. It is the very linework of the character as well as the red inner shadow of El-ahrairah’s eyes.

And there he is. My assistant, DeLaney Paige, lent his extraordinary talents in ideas, painting, support and analysis. I say “analysis” because DeLaney explores the heart and soul of a thing. He is genuinely a gifted art teacher in the truest sense of the word. He also makes me laugh which is a BIG plus in my studio. So is singing ToTo’s “AFRICA.”

I BLESS the rains — BLESS.

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BUNTALK: The Wild Domestic

Where there is light, there must be shadow, where there is shadow there must be light. There is no shadow without light and no light without shadow …

― Haruki Murakami

When I was 17, my interest in symbolism caught fire. It began in a literature class when I studied Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. I ran the gamut of that study from Biblical symbolism to feminine symbolism. I’m not sure how my American Lit teacher felt about it, but I am proud to report that I received the only “A” in the history of that class for that project. ::takes an overachiever bow::

MOBY BUN

In college, I discovered the works of Carl Jung and the concept of the collective unconscious. (The idea that we are all connected through an invisible cosmic web – communicated via symbols).

AT PLAY IN THE COSMIC WEB

This is when I dove head-first down the rabbit hole (so to speak) of feminine symbolism and archetypal journeys. Archetypes are:

In the psychology of Carl Jung, archetypes are the images, patterns, and symbols that rise out of the collective unconscious and appear in dreams, mythology, and fairy tales.

dictionary.com

Jung believed that these symbols originated from when we crawled out of the primordial ooze. It is a beautifully romantic way to explain why so many cultures all over the world (who never had contact and were oceans apart) have the same images and characters and mythologies. To put it simply, we are all connected.

RAGING

Fast forward several years when I felt trapped in my life’s circumstance. We have all been there. If not, you are either young or very blessed. It was a place of frustration, agitation and it was a bit dark. At this same time, Honorable Daughter #1 began bringing rabbits home. She would rescue/steal/accept/smuggle them. She would nurse and care for the sick, groom them, rehome them. To this day she has the heart of a rescuer.

DEFEATED

Lance, Russette and Sammy were the three rabbits that I would not allow to leave. These three are affectionately known as “The Olde Guarde”.

I grew up in a farm community surrounded by all types of animals. My observations, even as a child, taught me that rabbits are animals of prey and behave accordingly. House rabbits, after having all those years of domestication, still behave as such. So there I was feeling trapped and frightened … with rabbits.

The following are basic definitions. They are moreso concepts based in an Aesop Fable (The Dog and the Wolf) sifted through my filters of feminine archetypal insanity (It’s my journey I can do what I want):

THE WILD – Freedom to be your true self. Living in the cover of the forest tapping into who you really are. The subconscious. This self allows you to set boundaries without guilt.

THE DOMESTIC – The comfort of shelter, food and the guides of social norms. In its ideal, it guarantees safety and healthy boundaries. The conscious mind.

Each, however, has its shadow:

THE WILD SHADOW – Hunted, hungry, darkness, fear, lost (yearning for the domestic)

THE DOMESTIC SHADOW – Caged, victimhood, dependent upon others for survival, the collar digging into the skin/complacency (yearning for the wild)

Our goal in living with these archetypes is to bring them together to find balance. In my opinion, in that balance, we find our “home.” It’s a lifelong journey and we all bounce around now and again. and again. and again. and yet again.

I could very well relate to the rabbits as prey animals. I also believe that this projection gave me an exceptionally strong bond to and with them.

The illustrated journey, unbeknownst to me at that time, of making peace with the WILD v DOMESTIC archetype began.

This was the birth of Raging Bunnies.

As I broke away from my situation and managed some self-examination, the bond with my rabbits evolved along with my art. I began to appreciate the rabbits’ gift of bringing laughter, absurdity and healing into my life. Regarding the Secret Life of Rabbits was born at this time. Then the characters in the comic started revealing themselves (and continue to do so).

THE FIRST COMIC

The comic offers humor even in strife. The process is very healing for me. The fact that others are interested in it is humbling. And the longer I do the comic, the more I reveal parts of myself.

Now, I stand in a visible (and quite public) duality.
Wild (Raging) and Domestic (The Secret Life)

Lilith
Regarding The Secret Life Of Rabbits

Rabbits are timeless in their imagery. Not only are they recognized as symbols of fecundity and luck, but they are also symbols of the spirit world and rebirth; the eternal cycle of Life/Death/Life. Mortality and the hope for the eternal is a big theme in my Raging Bunnies artwork. Dark. Serious. Desperately attempting to preserve. It is an existential crisis in action.

Regarding the Secret Life of Rabbits shows the day-to-day, mundane, sometimes vulgar struggles but is always presented with the absurd. It offers a light-hearted look at life. I like that. And I will find something in every situation that makes me laugh (regardless of how inappropriate it may seem).

Together, you see my wild next to my domestic selves. One must always be able to express their wild. One must also realize boundaries are not always a bad thing. Reconciling the two brings peace. Through my work, I am “home.”

Sammy

I was asked to address the loss of Sammy. I have lost all three of my crew in the course of a year. They all lived long (and sometimes overfed) lives. Please know that The Olde Guarde lives on and always will. I even take offense when people refer to any of them in the past tense.

I honestly thought that when I lost Lance I would be devastated. He was my heart. Lance died in my arms and with his last breath I was, absolutely, devastated. Sammy was already in precarious health. He had horrific arthritis and was struggling but we were nursing him and loving him as always. The first night without Lance, he dragged himself over to Lance’s “spot” and just sat and groomed the floor. I witnessed him fade away. As you may, or may not, know – Sammy joined Lance within a month.

What I was not prepared for was how I felt at the time of Sammy’s departure. All of the Olde Guarde took on certain characteristics: Russette is a caretaker. She is curious and ornery but she is loving and slept at my feet. Lance is the wise protector standing guard by my bed and in the halls. Sammy, however – reflected some of my own neurosis and selfishness. It felt like I lost a part of my self.

When Sammy passed, I cradled him in my arms, turned into a corner and just wept; a painful ugly snot-filled cry. I would not let anyone touch him. Eventually, I was able to lay him down (still crying and petting him) for the Vet to take over. The experience was surreal.

Baskets are a womb symbol, a holder of life. They communicate spiritual joy and fulfillment. Baskets even sail saviors down rivers to be scooped up and adopted. Sammy loved his basket so much he ate half of it. This was his favorite spot.

GETTIN’ SOME SUN

And now …

*Presentation at Midwest Bunfest 2019

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Lance Update

The old man seems to be doing much better! Thank you all for the well-wishes! As I type this, he is devouring endive and pushing Russette out of the way. Well, pushing her out of the way the best he can. She’s a bruiser.

•The Oxbow Joint Support is a big hit with him.

•As of yet, there is no need for but baths. It is just getting his back foot INTO his ear that is the issue so far.

•Aaaaaand he just pooped right . outside . the . clean . litterbox.

He’s tired of my crap.


MINECRAFT
I absolutely love it when I hear from the humans. I love it, even more, when they share their stories, art, shenanigans with me! Veronica wrote expressing her son’s want to share his “RABBIT ISLAND” with me.

Let’s see: Rabbits + Minecraft = SO.MUCH.YES!

Minecraft Obsession

SILENT REFLECTION
May brought more loss this year. The month is always a time of transition but this year it seemed to be moreso than other Mays. A much-too-young friend of beasties (and humanity), who struggled much of their life, left this world. And left us to remember him.

And now there is a space.

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Of Love, Loss and Letting Go.

 

For my part I know nothing with any certainty,
but the sight of the stars makes me dream.
– Vincent Van Gogh

Grief is an odd thing, isn’t it? For me, this process is like an ocean washing onto the shore. Everything is calm then the tide starts to come in and before I realize it, I am standing in a puddle of tears. What could be considered even odder is when it is over a beloved little heartbeat that was once at my feet. But it is what it is and it is how I feel.

I believe that people can and do spiritually bond with animals. I believed this as a kid playing on the neighbors’ farms. I believe it today. The unconditional love that these beasties give transcends any of us. Animals just are. They are who they are supposed to be (given environment and temperament) and act accordingly. There is a light about them that I rarely find in humanity.  I was blessed to have the bond seemingly returned.

I also believe as creatures of the field (and sky and sea), they are perfect in creation therefore they return to the Creator. There is no dogma to sift through. There is no judgment. They are innocent. This may be considered a new age placebo or anathema or whatever. But it gives this old girl comfort.

In saying “good-bye” to Russette, I have accepted that it is probably going to be a life-long journey. I am not good at letting go by any means. I fight. I kick. I scratch. I cry. I will always have that Dutchie girl-shaped hole in my heart. Thank God my rabbits help make my heart large enough that it won’t collapse into itself. So … I am ok.

I wanted to do something to help the absence. I wanted to do something to – I don’t know – bring her briefly back? This is my project of love, loss and letting go.

Since Russette was always at my side during my arting adventures, it only seemed fit to do a piece of her. Of her leaving me.

She would run across freshly inked drawings and canvasses. She would steal pencils and paint brushes. When I would use a portable drawing board she would sit in my lap under the board. This was part of my process for almost a decade. This is the first piece that I didn’t have to go get another pencil or chase after that specific color pencil she ran down the hall and hid somewhere.
It was a lonely drawing.

RUSSETTE GIVING POINTERS

Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here is a favorite of mine. One afternoon the song played and that was it. An idea hit. Note that what I see in my head is NEVER what the final ever looks like. I just trust that the idea/imagery will take me somewhere.

I wanted a mixed media. Something that represented all the media that Russette spilled, chewed, stole, walked across: An organic element coupled with computer graphics.

She started as a pencil sketch on Dura-Lar with inked blues on the back. Acrylic inks and acrylic gel for texture are the front. Color pencils fill in some details. I really love the color pencil over the acrylic gel.

FABULOUS PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY

The above image/process shows the final steps.

After all was complete – I put it away for a while.

My concept of death is hopeful at best, terrifying at worst. As a kid I used to imagine “the cosmos” as the place of spirits. Mine were similar to Carl Sagan’s COSMOS – without all of the math. My cosmos are overwhelming, beautiful, engulfing and welcoming. Now came the computer part. Much was experimental. Much was me looking at old pieces and NASA photos. Some was me staring at the wall.

I represent death in my symbolic work with the white/greyish eyes.
Her heart-light took some thought and trial. But I like where it ended.
Circles are feminine and connecting.

Memories fade. I wanted to somehow represent that she was leaving. She was free. But she was also disappearing because the Earth doesn’t stop. The sun comes up and those left behind have to return to the Land of the Living. Returning to the Land of the Living sometimes feels like dying.

Go.
Happy travels until we meet again.

HOW I WISH YOU WERE HERE
Mixed Media

 

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WHICH WITCH



Myth is the primordial language natural to [the] psychic processes, and no intellectual formulation
comes anywhere near the richness and expressiveness of mythical imagery.
– Carl Gustav Jung
Be it known that I am not shy about sharing my horrific obsession with Mythic Arts and Symbolism.
Carl Jung is LIVID!

RAGING

I also go on familial adventures through ancestry.com. In these ancestral jaunts, I have found that I come from a line of interesting folk. One of which is Cassasndra Southwyck. She was a rebel Quaker among Puritans, was kicked out of the community for sticking to her Quaker ways and her children were put up for auction to pay legal fees.

Provided Southwyck was the first recorded white woman auctioned into slavery – except no one would buy her (There is a Country song in here somewhere). She married a Gaskill. The couple is documented in the infamous Salem Village Witch trials as witnesses against the charges of witchcraft. They tried to save lives. They didn’t.

The Gaskill line leads to more witchy shenanigans in the form of Pennsylvania Dutch Powwows (a Christian Healer/Conjurer). And that line leads to my Grandmother (a Powwow herself) who, well, leads to me (not a Powwow). In the course of all of this, I am also reading up on my Celtic Roots (My name sake and all), and the Midwifery/Witchiness involved. Apparently, these folks stick together.

ONE OF MY ANCESTORS?!

The symbolism for Rabbits and Hares is endless and fascinating. They represent the gamut of humanity. Different cultures focus on different aspects. In America’s past, Rabbits and Hares were considered “familiars” for witches. How appropriate!

A RABBIT AND A GASKILL

It is believed this “devil-connection” was surmised from the Celtic beliefs surrounding the little ones. My stronger Celtic interests provide more hare symbolism than I can write here. However, I want to share this gem:

In Ireland, it was said that eating a hare was like eating one’s own grandmother — perhaps due to the sacred connection between hares and various goddesses, warrior queens, and female faeries, or else due to the belief that old “wise women” could shape–shift into hares by moonlight…

It was believed that rabbits burrowed underground in order to better commune with the spirit world, and that they could carry messages from the living to the dead and from humankind to the faeries.

The Symbolism of Rabbits and Hares
by Teri Windling

I read the above quotes out loud in my living room and one of the other humans responded:
“You’re a shape – shifter! That explains a LOT.”
For the record, It’s called “Menopause.”

I dwell in a rather droll household.

So, you may ask (maybe you didn’t, but I digress), what is it Raging Bunnies takes away from all of this research?

Well… allow me to show you:

WITCH AND HER FAMILIAR
Yes, that is me and one of my lovies (modified pink Chuck Taylors inclusive)

For more on Mythic Arts, this is a fantastic place to start:
THE ENDICOTT STUDIO

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PRESS!

Local illustrator named to worldwide top 200 list
Written by Staff Reports | | news@toledofreepress.com
By Chase Will

After 20 years of honing her skills, local illustrator Penny Collins has been recognized as one of the Top 200 Illustrators Worldwide by Lüerzer’s Archive.
Lüerzer’s Archive is a bi-monthly magazine for the advertising industry, based in Europe with a global circulation of over 38,000 subscribers.

“I’m still on the ceiling with this,” Collins said. “I could not believe it when I got notification. Out of the billions and billions of talented people out there, and even in Toledo alone, to be picked for something like this is really great.”

“I love that she’s from Toledo. Out of everyone who enters, only about 20 percent are even from the U.S.,” said Claudia Coffman, chief executive of ad sales at Lüerzer’s Archive.

“We sent out a call for submissions for the illustrators and they submitted their work. It was free to submit and they could upload as much work as they wanted. We got over 5,000 submissions, which were judged by a five-person jury and had to receive at least three markings to be
considered.”

The painting submitted by Collins, titled “Save the Bunnies,” featured a bunny wearing a gas mask, sitting in front of a skull. It was created for a company in California who specialize in rabbit rescues. “It’s rather dark,” Collins said. “I ended up being inspired to do it for them because of the horror stories they would tell me about these animals.”

Collins runs Studio 566, where she sells her artwork and does commissioned pieces when requested. Her primary artistic focus is rabbits.

“What they tell you when you get into the ‘business’ is to find something you’re passionate about, because that’s basically what you’ll focus on for all your projects,” said Collins. “My next big project is doing a little cartoon strip with rabbits.”

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RUN, RABBIT

 

RUN RABBIT RUN is inspired by, if you haven’t already guessed, Pink Floyd’s DARK SIDE OF THE MOON’s song, BREATH. I supposed it is also an effort to balance out my piece, DARK SIDE OF THE BUN. There is a serious artist inside of here, after all… maybe.

Revisiting/Researching Art Deco, I found some magnificent poster work that distracted me for days, I decided to work with geometric shapes of the prism (triangle), circle and the “square” of the art board. As I work, I tend to also bury my head in study.  I knew I was going with Gold and black with the goal of printing on metal and having my standard Pink Floyd music in the studio – VIOLA!

I was nearly ¾ of the way finished when I discovered AWESOME cover art from the likes of UFOMAMUT (whom I had NEVER heard of). I was able to work the TITLE into the piece. Albeit tempted to use skulls and wings and naked ladies (Thanks to you UFOMAMUT), I refrained.

THIS… is a must look: UFOMAMUT POSTER ART

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APOCALYPSE

Apocalypse Meow [Cat Shit 1]

Based on the Apocalypse Meow Graphic Novel in 3 Volumes by Motofumi Kobayashi
(Yes, I have all 3)

As an illustrator and rabbit-lover, I cannot begin to express my overall nerdiness over this first release of CAT SHIT 1 from 2009. The plans are still in production for a 12 episode series. I was both horrified (for a number of reasons) and taken over by an overdose of “omg the bunnies are soooooo cute” all at the same time.


VIOLENCE – STRONG LANGUAGE

TRAILER

MOVIE TRAILER

Found this looking for the above

OMG THIS IS SO SAD