A couple weeks ago my Visual Studies class took a trip to New York City to visit the galleries in Chelsea. It was one of those experiences you won’t forget. We did a whirl wind tour of 11 galleries (maybe more) and absorbed contemporary sculpture, painting, photography and digital art. We saw so many shows with so many pieces I liked that it’s hard to pick just one. I think I’ll focus on an exhibition I saw at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. It was a series of pieces by illustrator Tara McPherson called “Bunny in the Moon”.
McPherson is a painter, poster artist, and freelance illustrator based in New York City. Since I’m considering being an illustrator for my career, it was great to see one that was shown in a gallery. She has created comic art, covers, ads and editorial illustration for DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Warner Brothers and many more. She’s also done gig posters for well known music groups like Beck and Death Cab for Cutie.
The “Bunny in the Moon” exhibition contains paintings on linen, drawings and soft sculpture. The unifying theme of the show is the creative interpretation of mythology from different cultures around the world. It deals with themes equating love and loss to the ultimate life sacrifice and death. The piece that shares the name of the show is based off the story of a Buddhist deity taking the form of a poor starving man and going to all the animals for food. Since the rabbit has nothing to offer, he offers himself. To honor his sacrifice, the deity puts the rabbit’s image in the moon. Her piece links this story to sacrificing oneself for love in a relationship.
I liked all of the pieces in this show. Her style is clean and reflects her background as an illustrator. One can’t help but smile as they look at her work. You can’t help but see the stories too. You may not get the exact one she’s portraying, but you get a sense of something; someone’s journey or romance.
If you want to learn more about Tara McPherson or the Jonathan LeVine Gallery, check out these websites: www.jonathanlevinegallery.com or www.taramcpherson.com
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