By David Wylie, photos by Lia Crowe

It took years for sculptor David Hunwick to understand the deep personal significance of hares as theyB次元官网网址檝e reappeared throughout his life, his art and his introspection.

The Victoria-based artistB次元官网网址攕een recently in West Kelowna at Grizzli WineryB次元官网网址檚 art in the park eventB次元官网网址攃reated his first hare near the beginning of his sculpting journey, in the 1980s in London, where he completed his BA degree in sculpture at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design.

Today, he is known for his sculptures throughout BC, and the hare continues to feature prominently in works such as his Dreams Can Come True sculpture, a piece of public art currently being exhibited on the Okanagan Lake waterway in Penticton.

Of this piece, he says, in part: B次元官网网址淎ll of my artwork reflects aspects of my own journey of discovery. The making of Dreams really represents a visual reminder to myself not to give up on the hopes and aspirations that quicken my step each day and inspire me to reach forward. Yet all change involves movement. Often the decision to jump or move is tempered by physical or other limitations. This piece is created to inspire to take that leap again. The hare, transcends the natural elements of the earth and ocean, and reaches over the moon.B次元官网网址�

In high school, David studied drawing, animation, printmaking and etching; his portfolio was predominantly 2-D. He decided to try his hand at sculpting to explore its potential.

After graduating from Ravensbourne, David was accepted for the PGCE teaching program at Bretton Hall College, located in the centre of the renowned Yorkshire Sculpture Park. He began teaching in 1987, continuing to hone his art and exhibiting each year. At this point, he says, his life centred around family, faith, teaching and art.

Eventually, life ushered David to Scotland, where he lived for a time above a converted sheep barn, invited as artist-resident and gallery manager. He describes this as an idyllic setting, where he awoke each morning to the sound of the bleating of sheep. He exhibited annually at the Royal Scottish Academy and worked on a number of public and private commissions. He still has pieces in some of the countryB次元官网网址檚 castles. And during his nine years in Scotland, David noted the ever-present hares, a constant sight on the landscape.

Feeling the pull to Canada, David and his family moved to Gibsons, BC in 2001, relocating soon afterwards to Victoria. In 2008, David decided to focus more fully on his art and established the Sculpture Studio in downtown Victoria.

Coming to Canada marked a turning point, and he became involved in one of his most notable projects soon after arriving here. Over two years, he moulded and cast more than 71 pieces of a blue whale skeleton for the Blue Whale Project, a permanent display at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC in Vancouver.

And around this time, hares became a more prominent part of DavidB次元官网网址檚 work.

B次元官网网址淲hen I arrived in Canada, I thought, what should I sculpt? Thinking back to childhood memories of cycling in the Kent countryside, I remembered seeing the hares in the long grass, and the memories brought feelings of nostalgia and comfort,B次元官网网址� he said.

He sculpted and cast in bronze his first meadow hare. It captured othersB次元官网网址� imaginations and soon more hares followed. Still, he felt the hares werenB次元官网网址檛 his real work as a sculptor. They were just for funB次元官网网址攚himsical and playful.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 like to say my motivation was really deep and philosophical, but it wasnB次元官网网址檛. I just felt like I should make a bunny,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 was in the period of self-denialB次元官网网址攚hat I call bunny denial.B次元官网网址�

Many of the rabbits are done in DavidB次元官网网址檚 preferred medium; he loves working in bronze due to its permanence. He also works with concrete. David said he aspires to create visual poetry with the lines, shape, spaces and rhythm of the forms he makes, even including text at times. HeB次元官网网址檚 been using more abstract elements, and incorporating steel and mixed media in his castings. Recently, heB次元官网网址檚 been putting combustible material into his pieces and then burning them, allowing the element of fire to complete the piece.

B次元官网网址淭he fire will actually be the last artist,B次元官网网址� he said.

HeB次元官网网址檚 planning an exhibition in Italy where five of his works will go up in flames in front of onlookers. What is left when the embers die down is the final work.

Often when creating and conceiving a new sculpture, David leaves some of the incidentals as evidence of the journey that has shaped the piece, so people can see the decisions made in its creation.

B次元官网网址淚n many cases I want to leave them imperfect because I donB次元官网网址檛 really believe in perfectionB次元官网网址擨 think perfection is an illusion. I believe in perfect imperfection. The human condition and experience is not perfect; although we strive for it, the reality is very different,B次元官网网址� he said.

Hares continued to multiply over the years. HeB次元官网网址檚 made more than a dozen variations: dancing hares, the thinker hare (a visual pun of RodinB次元官网网址檚 famed sculpture) and a hare leaping over the moon.

Slowly the realization sunk in. He saw himself in the hares; in fact, he shared many of the character qualities of the hareB次元官网网址攅lusive and more comfortable in the background. So he embraced the B次元官网网址渋nnerB次元官网网址� animal, accepting the hare as an expression of himself as an artist.

B次元官网网址淎ll of the hare sculptures that IB次元官网网址檝e made are actually manifestations of me,B次元官网网址� he said.

In the meantime, David has continued to keep teaching central to his work, taking on the role in 2012, for example, of artist-in-residence at the Gitxsan art centre in Hazelton, teaching First Nations carvers how to mould and cast their artifacts. He also co-teaches Sculpt Italy, a yearly 10-day workshop in Pietrasanta, Italy, alongside international sculptor Gabriel Vicari.

B次元官网网址淚f you want to learn about sculpting, you go to Italy,B次元官网网址� he said.

For the last 12 years, David has been a regular exhibitor at several fine art shows and won multiple awards. He has participated in the Sidney, Oak Bay, Kingsbrae and Castlegar sculpture walks for several years with a number of public sculptures on permanent display.

B次元官网网址淚 feel like IB次元官网网址檝e been given a gift, the opportunity to create. Life as an artist is not always easy and you question, how often do you want to push the wheelbarrow up the hill? Is it worth it? Then every time you get to that breaking point, you find something positive happens that allows you to continue the extra mile again,B次元官网网址� he said.

For more info about his classes in Italy, visit icansculpt.com. For more information on the artist, visit davidhunwick.com.