I can’t believe day 4 is hare **wink
I really loved this one, perhaps because I have drawn quite a few hares over time. I find them very magical - how about you?
I spoke a little about a hare story I have, from when I first moved to this house 20 years ago now, when the estate (and my home) was brand new. Previously this had been paddocks with grazing cattle, clumps of trees in the cleared sections, and then heavily wooded areas, full of red gums and all the native (and introduced) flora and fauna. It is only a 30 minute drive from where I grew up, but when I was young it felt far away and rural. My estate was one of the first, and now this entire area is heavily housed, with more area being cleared every year to fit more and more houses. I don’t understand how this growth can be sustained - and yet I recognise that I too am part of the problem.
I wrote the poem below about my brief encounter and the thoughts it brought up. This hare was also honoured in the Hare + She drawing I made from my {wild+women} series.
Unable to sleep I parted the curtains to greet the near full moon
and looked to the empty land across the road
The trucks came today to offload trusses, once were trees
I already miss the little glimpses of quiet that not-long-for-empty space held
And saw you on the street in front of me
You sat in the middle of the road, a journey’s pause
and cleaned your elegant ears and pensive eyes
My breath hitched, caught by a feeling of finality
A resignation that your home was lost
displaced by bipedal avarice
Sorrow washed over me, at my part in this destruction
We saw into each other’s wild hearts for just a moment
and you lowered your front legs to the road
A shared inhale
You loped slowly up the centre of the road
the moon bathing your back in glow
I whispered goodbye
and the sadness of it all broke my heart
It was an emotive experience, and while there is a sadness to the words above, I also try to find a way to celebrate that little life I saw, I felt, I knew, only for a second.
This work, honouring wild creatures, can bring up all sorts of things for us as we work, and I think it is important to acknowledge them all.
There is curiosity and utter awe, yes, but there is also sorrow and guilt and fear - I don’t know about you, but these are all the things that come up for me watching wildlife documentaries, and I find I have to be very careful to screen what a documentary might hold before I agree to watch it. I still think about some of the saddest moments in doco’s I watched decades ago - I am very sensitive to suffering. And yet I know it is a part of the wild world too, and cannot be avoided.
And that is my TED talk for today, haha.
That got a bit dire, but I hope you understand what I was getting at - that it is ok to feel all the feelings as you work on observing wildlife.
You are a curious, compassionate, courageous human being, and wanting to find ways to connect to the wild is a beautifully inspirational and sensitive thing.
And with that, let’s draw this big eared, long legged bunny, huh?
Image by Tapani Hellman from Pixabay
Wilderness ..the enchantment of softened fur particular to hare's furred softness, the body with its potential for slow or speedy animation, strength and I sensed too such a tenderness. A softened heart and eye returned to me as I sketched, felt, wondered, and drew
You asked if you were offering enough information and honestly, I watch the video until you are done with the shapes and then I’m listening and not watching. I flip back if I am done before you are though.