The Hares
The prints shown here have been inspired by Hester's love of hares. The hare is an extraordinary and ancient archetype which is important to many different cultures and inspires countless artists today. In many mythic traditions, the hare is a lunar animal associated with femininity, longevity and rebirth. Look a little deeper and you find that the hare is a paradoxical creature symbolising both foolishness and intelligence, lust and purity, witchcraft and christianity. Hester has long been fascinated by these animals and is now fortunate enough to live in a place where they are commonly seen. The titles for each of the works shown here have been taken from a fifteen century hunting poem that has recently been translated by Seamus Heaney. Within the poem are seventy-two names for the hare and if the hunter can recite all of these, then the hare will be delivered into his power.