Date Night 

Lucia Heffernan’s ‘Date Night’ presents us with a rabbit, rendered in oil paint on canvas, thoughtfully considering her outfit. Oil paint is known for its versatility, allowing for a range of textures. Here, Heffernan has used it to give the rabbit's fur a soft, almost palpable quality. The glossy sheen of the paint even mimics the way light would play across the animal's coat. But beyond the technical skill, the choice of oil paint as a medium also connects this work to a long history of portraiture. Traditionally used to capture the likeness of the wealthy, it’s interesting to see it applied to a rabbit, engaged in a very human activity. There’s a gentle humor in using such a classical medium to depict a contemporary scene. It makes you wonder, is Heffernan commenting on consumer culture, or perhaps just inviting us to see the world from a different perspective, where even a rabbit's fashion choices deserve our attention? In doing so, she asks us to reconsider what we consider worthy of artistic representation.