Star light, Star bright, like all the work in my Star Series, portrays animals that for some reason or another has grabbed humanity’s attention and become stars, in a sense. Stars, in that they have become icons that are used widely in stories and popular culture.
Why Rabbits?
I choose rabbits to be a part of this series because they have been associated with luck and supernatural powers since ancient times, and they are beloved characters in current culture. Bugs Bunny, Roger Rabbit, the White Rabbit, and Watership Down, are just a few examples of the dominant rabbit characters in our myths today.
Why Star light, Star bright?
When I was thinking about a possible title, I remembered the following well-known nursery rhythm. It seemed to fit both the idea behind the Star Series and the way humanity sees rabbits as good omens.
Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
Why pairs of hares?
As with all my serigraphs, they began with a graphite drawing. When I finished the drawing and looked at its reverse image, it went so well with the original and made a nice square. The pair also seemed to communicate bunny’s rapid reproduction rate so I decided to create the serigraph using a pair of hare(s) instead of just one.
What lead to four pairs of hares?
When I added the layer of color onto the flower shape, the idea of producing a whole colony of rabbits in a rainbow of colors was born. This along with the fact that the ear shapes connect one pair of hare(s) to the next on both sides was a visual delight.
So why stop at four?
That is a good question. You never know with rabbits, haha, there may be a larger project in the near future so stay tuned. Sign up to be on our mailing list to be in the know and/or check back here for our monthly blog post!
Kathleen Zimmerman