Soggy Rabbit Popped Up in the Garden
Last Sunday we welcomed some of our youngest ever visitors to the gallery, bringing their cuddly toys to be drawn by core artist Gail Reid.
Families walked through our beautiful walled garden to the event space, which was transformed into a festive studio. Children lovingly arranged their cuddly toys for their portraits. They could sit their treasured friends on the comfy cushion, making sure that all the important details were noted by the artist! They chose the title for the portrait, then it was over to Gail to work her magic.
In addition to fine art and commissions, Gail offers “Soggy Rabbit” portraits, either ordered online at www.soggyrabbit.com, or from real life at popup events. Just as she might approach a regular portrait or landscape, Gail observes shape and form meticulously to capture the likeness. She uses a traditional ink dipping pen to hand write the title, and to define the form of the toy on the page. Once the shape is right, colour and texture are added to bring it to life, in the distinctive Soggy Rabbit style.
Families could stay and watch, play in the garden (great for hide and seek!), or enjoy the colourful mix of affordable and statement pieces in our new ‘Shape and Form’ exhibition.
Guests could even choose to draw alongside Gail, and have their drawing added to her online Soggy Rabbit Guest Artist Gallery
Jasmine with her beautiful picture of Ted-Ted and Bun-Bun
Gail says: “I love meeting the toys’ owner, hearing where the toys came from, and learning about the special ragged/missing/faded bits that come from being really well loved. Soft toy portraits are a great metaphor for family relationships – combining the toys of siblings, and sometimes recapturing memories of lost toys from photos… “
… I have the occasional privilege of doing soft toy portraits for bereaved families, as a gentle way of maintaining the lost child’s visible presence – sometimes setting a memorial toy together with the toys of surviving siblings. One of my favourite Soggy Rabbit portraits was for a 20th Wedding Anniversary, commissioned by the husband who said their childhood toys had sat together on the end of the bed for their whole married life!”
Once finished, Soggy Rabbit portraits are set behind a professionally cut mount card, with an optional solid wood frame. With a Christmas cracker for luck, visitors went on their merry way.
“Hi Gail, just to say thank you for the lovely picture yesterday of Bunny and Teddy we are so pleased with it” – Lucy White
“Thanks so very much Gail, we’re all delighted with your wonderful drawing of Funny Bunny and Shelly!” – Alison and Kiki
Gail is particularly proud of her international client list, ranging from Dubai to the Cayman Islands, and this cheeky dude:
To find out more about Gail and her art, read our interview with Gail .
At Heart Of The Tribe we pride ourselves in being a welcoming gallery, making excellent contemporary fine art accessible to Glastonbury residents and visitors. We represent a group of talented artists, and love to discuss the work on display with visitors. Take a virtual tour here or even better, pay us a visit – we’re at the top of Glastonbury High Street.
If you are interested in attending a Soggy Rabbit popup at Heart Of The Tribe, see www.soggyrabbit.com/popup for more information, and get in touch!
