JANE O’HARA
The Rabbit Hole
“The unique quality about Jane O’Hara‘s artwork is there is often the interplay of humor and irony. She also has the gift of capturing the soulfulness of an animal; especially through the eyes, and as the viewer is drawn in, there can be an emotional trigger looking into those eyes, when the reality of what is taking place reveals the indifference, exploitation, and suffering.
“One of Jane‘s paintings entitled, The Rabbit Hole, depicts happy little bunnies, frolicking in the grass; stuffed toy bunnies, storybook bunnies, even Bugs Bunny, evoking the warm and fuzzy association they present. But then the viewer notices the bubbles… bubbles floating above – a bubble containing a rabbit pulled out of a magicians hat by its ears, a bubble containing a bunny trapped in a cosmetic testing laboratory, a bubble containing a rabbit in line at a fur production facility. “
—Meg Randa’s presentation of the 2015 Peace Abbey Foundation’s Courage of Conscience Award to Jane O’Hara.