This was a sketch from memory, of my first bunny, Midnight. She was a great listener. A companion who liked quiet, just like me. I loved watching her ears move as she perceived the world around her. This was a quick sketch directly in chalk pastel with minimal blending.
The first in a series where I will be studying the rabbit and its likeness through my sketches. This bunny is eating cilantro, listening, and is loafed. Inspired by Netherland dwarf rabbits.
Just like that the season has changed. On Halloween night, big fluffy flakes appeared on our door step. Frosting the fallen orange leaves with a marshmallow wrapping of snow. It was magical, snow globe-esque.
As morning dawned the fall livelry was swapped for a dazzling white coating my little world in snowflake robes. It was crunchy beneath my shoe, squeaky even.
From the gloomy shades of autumn and their spooky splendor to the bright, starkness of winter in one night. A remnant of autumn hangings on in the trees beyond my street. The lovely yellow leaves I saw through my window. A bright, hopeful contrast from the pine, the branch, and the white. This was my inspiration.
Do you enjoy snow?
This weekend I was blessed with the autumn splendor of a gray, spooky drive through the countryside (to Walmart, very aesthetic) and to get cheaper gas (another prime highlight reel moment, PA Gas Tax-core). It was absolutely stunning and unrepeatable because those leaves were that exact hue for that day. They have since deepened or faded. Maybe they were blown off their branch by the breeze of the cold front or simply washed to the ground by the rain. It was special. I also saw many Canadian Geese. In the air and in ponds, a few were standing in the road blocking our way forward. I loved it.
Since then I have been inspired to experiment with techniques to recreate the splendor of autumn through my pastels and to begin drafting a flying geese project, maybe a painting. These are my practice sketches from today.
Do you ever look up at the clouds and get struck by wonder? How can they be so vivid and fluffy yet intangible? They are not the plush spaces in the sky that we dreamed of as a kid. Nor are they driveable like on Mario Kart. Yet still they are perfect in their ever-changing form.
A memory captured on a recent visit to Lake Erie with my family. I’ve been here twice and the view was stunningly different each time. I could stare at that horizon forever.
I know Autumn is knocking on the door when I see these purple flowers in the fields around my town. The goldenrod may make me sneeze but the sight of the yellow, gold, and purple makes my heart sing.
One Rabbit Riot 