Moon Bunnies

 Time seems be getting away from me, so many ideas so little time! I was happy to find time to complete this piece. I've been wanting to revisit the stories of rabbit in the moon for sometime and I don't think its quite through with me yet.




 In other things celestial, have you seen the new Pixar short "La Luna"? (it screened with Disney's Brave) I was absolutely spellbound watching it. Writer/Director Enrico Casarosa weaves a magical tale that while fresh and new feels timeless and seeped in tradition.   Clip from "La Luna" Enrico's delightful blog is here 
wonderful behind the scenes peeks and sketches!

Happy star gazing!  

Watercolor, July 2008

In East Asian Folklore there isn't a man in the moon, but a rabbit.

In the traditional story of the Moon Festival (which is in the fall) In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead, jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the "Jade Rabbit."

From chinesefortunecalendar.com

In some stories I've read the Moon Rabbit is busy making a special elixir for the Moon Goddess, in others he is making moon cakes.

Since it isn't time for the Fall Moon Festival I imagined Moon Rabbit could take a break and go for a walk cloaked in moonbeams.

I think I'll be revisiting this folk tale, I have a special place in my heart for bunnies and the moon.