Moon Rabbit

Russell has long explored the interplay between word & image and the creative process inherent within children's fiction. This has resulted in a range of picture books having been published internationally, featured on television (CBeebies Bedtime Story) and employed as a Foundation Support Title (Key Stage 1). Moon Rabbit offers a reading experience that is both literary and visual, representing a significant departure for Russell in terms of process, narrative and audience at a pivotal point in her creative career. Working with Macmillan inspired her to research the shifting context of children's literature and to devise new methods of engaging with readers in both private and public forums, such as galleries, book festivals and schools. As the project evolved it encouraged the exploration of narrative composition and the effective communication of complex emotional issues within a story primarily targeted at children. This contrasts with the more thematically driven narratives of her previous work. Central to her new creative practice was the silkscreen process, enabling the emergence of an aesthetic that bridged the needs of adults and children and provided simplicity and subtlety that had previously not been possible. This opened up avenues for dissemination through foreign co-editions, gallery exhibitions, art and design booksellers, book-gifting initiative etc. Moon Rabbit has been distributed worldwide and has been published in the USA, Japan, Korea and China. Selected prints were showcased in ‘Editions’ (Sep 2009) at Belfast's Ormeau Baths Gallery alongside works of ten other artists, including David Mach and Barbara Rae. Moon Rabbit was long-listed for The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal and featured in the ‘short list’ section of ‘Time Magazine’ USA.