sad bunny smokes cigarettes sometimes by ocean capewell
Medium: watercolor, crayons, sewing machine, thread
Dimensions: 17 x 12.5
Artist Statement: i am in my 40's and i've been smoking cigarettes on and off since my teens. i know other "healthier" coping mechanisms, but this is one i always return to. i also use art and sewing as a coping mechanism. last winter, i was going through some things, and one of my coping skills was drawing comics about my life. i drew the people in my stories as animals, and i consistently drew myself as a sad rabbit, wearing my usual outfit of overalls, a brightly colored shirt, and a bandana. i grew enamored with this alter ego and nicknamed it "sad bunny." i find sewing non-straight lines very soothing--i have a really hard time sewing straight lines. but the rhythm of the machine, as i turn the material around and around, lulls me in a way that nothing else can. i like how this piece incorporates some of my healthy and not-so-healthy coping skills. i am deeply imperfect, and so is my art. i hope that the joy i experienced in creating it is visible, though.
Image description: a watercolor painting of a bunny rabbit wearing purple overalls, a yellow shirt, and a red bandanna. the bunny rabbit is smoking a cigarette. the painting is sewn onto a background piece of paper that is black with gold flowers on it. multi-colored lines of stitches are all around the bunny’s head