“I’ve had a longtime relationship with bunny imagery in my work, as well as woodland creatures and nature, so creating art for Psycho Bunny felt like a natural fit for me—and a fun project to add my aesthetic to,”
R. Land explains of his initial thoughts about the Atlanta Artist Series Program. His first being Little Bunny Foo Foo that, since creating the original art piece, was sold as printed posters, on T-shirts, and eventually became a bestselling lunchbox—taking on a larger-than-life personality far beyond just an artwork.
The piece he created for the Atlanta Artist Series Program—Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego—is made with ink and acrylics on a handcrafted paneled wood construction. The name refers to three men that appear in the biblical Book of Daniel, who are thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon, for refusing to bow down to his image.
R. Land’s connection with Atlanta is one that he finds hard to pinpoint, exactly, but to him it’s the energy that he gets from the city that informs most of what he does. He finds inspiration in the community, music, and the art of Atlanta itself.
The same kind of natural energy he draws from the city informs his creative process. “I don’t have a great answer for how I go about finding inspiration. Often, if I overthink the creative process and how I should approach it, it kind of stops the organic flow. So, I just let it happen however it’s going to happen,” R. Land casually muses.
He's always been driven by self-expression and creatively—even as a child—by whatever means at his disposal. “In the 80’s I started earning enough money from the sales of my work that I could quit my full-time job and dedicate my life to my passion,” R. Land said. His work ethic and art remain an inspiration for aspiring artists in Atlanta and around the world.
In describing what self-expression means to him in a mere three words, R. Land has this to say: “Can’t survive without.”
The Psycho Bunny Atlanta Artist Series Program featuring R. Land’s commissioned artwork, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, will be on display in-store at Lenox Square.
