The Bunny Couple :Broken Together or Falling Apart?

Broken Together/ Falling Apart

The rabbits were originally placed in my mother's room when she was very young. They were lovingly saved for me by my grandma to be put up in the nursery for my own daughter. An heirloom passed down four generations. Like the piggy bank, it became a favorite to play with. 

Also like the piggy bank, they fatally fell from the shelf and broke right in half. The crack was the most interesting to me out of all the ceramics because of the figure's irregular shape. 

As I put them back together, posing them for their final portrait, my mind conjured all kinds of stories they could embody. I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing the right thing by putting them back together.

Were they happy together, or were they destined to be separated? Had they endured, or were they trapped? Was the break inevitable in the story of their relationship, or were they stronger for having been broken and repaired?

This was the final painting added to the series, and it is one of the most beloved by viewers. Many see a sweet story of love and perseverance; others see a pastel tragedy unfolding as the couple tries to put back together what once was, irrevocably changed.

Ultimately, it's up to the viewer to decide how the little rabbits came together, fell apart, and saw each other in the aftermath. It's stands as a reflection of the viewer’s own relationships, both past and present. A sort of Rorschach Test on their current circumstances and past experiences.

My own interpretation kept flipping back and forth as I painted and even as I look at it now. What I see changes depending on what I'm going through, what I am processing, and what I need from the people in my life. Maybe it's a reflection of my own childhood, coming from a broken home. When I reflect on my own relationships, I see something completely different. What I see will change and change again. What remains is the love that it was given with and the nostalgia for when it was whole.