Boy Bunny with Pearls 2012

Rose Freymuth-Frazier made this oil painting, "Boy Bunny with Pearls," and right away, I’m interested in the way the light catches the bunny’s fur, making it almost glow against that dark background. Looking closely, the paint seems to have been applied in layers, with soft, blended strokes that give the bunny a sense of volume and presence. And these pearls! They are scattered around the bunny like little treasures, each one reflecting the light in its own way. There's something kind of old-school, almost Victorian, about the painting. It puts me in mind of Landseer, who was famous for painting animals with a touch of human emotion. But where Landseer went for sentimentality, Freymuth-Frazier is aiming for something more mysterious, more surreal. It’s a conversation between the past and present, where ambiguity is part of the fun.