| |
|
Steve Rebora:
The
subject matter of my painted, wood sculptures
comes from my lifelong interest in comic book
and cartoon characters. As a cartoonist many
years ago, I was inspired by the work of Al Capp
(the creator of Lil’ Abner and Daisy Mae), Walt
Disney, and other animators and draftsmen who
found humor in unexpected places. My current
character—the magician’s rabbit—represents just
such a twist. Rather than being pulled from the
hat, the rabbit is in control. He is the one
with the common sense, the knowledge, and has
come from behind the scenes to make the show
happen. In each piece, the magician’s hat
signals the presence of the magician himself,
but he is rarely present. Instead, the able
apprentice rabbit makes the magic: he gently and
happily pulls birds and people from the hat. In
one piece, he even pulls his master—a rather
sinister-looking man reminiscent of Mandrake the
Magician—from the hat.
Each piece is sculpted from wood in many pieces,
composed for narrative effect. The contrast of
white and black enhances the basic compositional
elements—the hat and the rabbit. The narrative
elements of birds and other magic features are
painted in saturated middle tones, giving each
piece a color value range of dark, light, and
middle.
|
