Going ''Up And Down The Rabbit Hole'' is a system labyrinth in itself

 

Some of you may have read this earlier blog, in which I posted some previews of my new series ''Up And Down The Rabbit Hole'', which, although its title might have you believe otherwise, is certainly NOT about or related to the whole ''Alice in Wonderland'' story. I also promised to write a blog about which children's books and stories did make a lasting impact on me, enough to inspire me both as a child and as an adult, and enough to influence Witty Art in some way or another. 

Well, that's a blogpost I am currently still working on - as I want and need to take my time for that one. So you will all still have to wait for that one just a little bit longer.

BUT I can show you some works from this series ''Up And Down The Rabbit Hole''. This time, I chose to work exclusively with graphite pencil, just adding a bit of charcoal when I felt it was necessary to create some contrast or a bit of depth to the drawing. Yet, at the same time I wanted to produce some clearly defined, cartoon style lines, creating a pretty much graphic result in the end. 

As the phrase ''to go down the rabbit hole'' (yes, courtesy of Lewis Carroll, ofcourse, so much for claiming not to be inspired by Alice, huh?) basically means ''to enter a period of chaos and confusion'', and is basically ''a metaphor for an entry into the unknown, the disorienting or the mentally deranging'' or even a ''slang expression for a psychedelic experience, from the same usage''. There might also feelings of ''adventure and discovery and maybe even some excitement', while stepping into unknown.

The whole point with rabbit holes, is you often don't see them. You don't always have a well-dressed, well-mannered rabbit-in-a-rush leading the way. Or there might be a rabbit, but you just don't recognize it and you're not even aware that you, in fact, have already entered its burrow and you are well on your way into the unknown.

And for some, that means adventure and excitement, full of opportunities and possibilities. For some, it means a period of worry and uncertainty, of anxiety and depression even.

Because entering the rabbit hole comes with change, sometimes severe change or a series of lifechanging events. And, unlike Alice who in the end just wakes up from her dreams (or hallucinations), you cannot go back. A real life rabbit hole basically has its own event horizon, its own point of no return, once you have entered, you will have to experience the whole journey, every single step of the way.

And while you are walking ahead, climbing, stumbling, falling down and getting up, you will discover that there is not one, but an seemingly endless series of rabbit holes to go to, all intertwined, all connected - a whole damn' system labyrinth of it.

It will take a lot of steps going forward and backward to keep on going - untill you will find your way out.

NOT inspired by Alice in Wonderland: ''Up And Down The Rabbit Hole'' (a preview)

Just wanted to share a couple of previews of a new series with all friends and followers of Witty Art out there. A series of A5-sized black and white pencil drawings, some with an added touch of conté crayon or charcoal to them. Again, featuring a rabbit like creature. As this time I am not that certain of what the underlying themes are, as sometimes they are just as elusive to me as to those viewing my work, I've apptly named this series ''Up And Down The Rabbit Hole'', courtesy by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland ofcourse.

Not that ''Alice'' was a direct source of inspiration. As great as my appreciation is for having come up with legendary characters such as The White Rabbit and The Cheshire Cat, somehow, I have never been really fond of the story of Alice in Wonderland. Why exactly? I really don't know. There were other books and stories that captured my imagination as a child and somehow, Alice and all that she gets up to, never managed to do so, despite having the book several times as a child, a teenager and later, as an adult as well.
 
Mind you, I do value it highly as an important work of literature and storytelling in its own right.
But most ''popular'' children's books and fairy tales were more or less wasted on me, to be honest. Well, apart from some extraordinary exceptions to the rule, and I can reassure you those have enormously influenced my life as well as my artwork. More on that particular subject in a later blog (and a long overdue one).

For now, I will happily work further on this series, and will see where this one takes me - perhaps up and down a few undiscovered rabbit holes of my own, I suppose. In which case, I will happily let my very own colony of UnBunnies lead the way!