On Wednesday, June 26th, 2019 we unveiled our newest Conejo Cottontail sculpture at The Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village. This cottontail drew from inspiration of the four seasons and brought to life by local artist, Jenny Manno.
Artist Statement Below:
“I’d like to thank Art Trek and the Four Seasons for this opportunity.
When Nan Young, asked me to be the artist for the Four Seasons community rabbit project, I jumped at the chance. The rest of the day I walked around thinking THE FOUR SEASONS!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??! By that afternoon it turned into… THE FOUR SEASONS, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!?? It hit me like a ton of bricks!! I had some VERY large shoes to fill! Thank goodness I had 8 months to make that happen.
I knew right away that I was going to paint the background a GORGEOUS retro turquoise color… which, may or may not also be the same color as my kitchen and my bedroom. Sorry honey!! It also HAD TO HAVE the FOUR SEASONS represented on it. The trick was, ALL four seasons had to be visible from all sides. THIS WAS NOT EASY!
In the 8 months to follow it went through two major repaints, many late night painting sessions in my living room as well as several trips to the chiropractor….
Finally!!! I was making headway!!
Then tragedy struck-BORDERLINE
I knew that I had to somehow represent and pay tribute to those that lost their lives on that day.
The bees became that symbol. They represent LIFE, STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. I couldn’t think of a better way to tell the world that as a community, Thousand Oaks would heal and survive.
Fast forward 11 months from the day Nan asked me to be a part of this community project to us standing here today at the unveiling. I have learned a lot about myself during this journey. I discovered that I too am a lot like those bees. For that alone I will be forever grateful for this opportunity.” - Jenny Manno