Artist Statement

Jacquita Beddo has been called the jackrabbit lady. A moniker she really enjoys. She is primarily a figurative sculptor because she feels like the human face creates a connection to the viewer like nothing else.  Often, she also adds jackrabbit ears to her figures. The stories of the desert southwest dub the jackrabbit as the listener. Of course, the rabbit is also painted as clever, quick, and seen to outsmart their adversaries. In stories jackrabbits embody motherhood and empathy through listening. Jacquita is quick to point out that women can be painted with the same brush full of mysteries, sometimes mischief, mothers, listeners, and often outsmart those who might seek to dominate them. It is for these reasons she likes to reference the jackrabbit in her work.

She will occasionally beat her figures up a bit with marks and scratches just to remind herself that, ”with all that life throws at you, it may change the landscape of your features but that too has its own beauty”. She says when she looks in the mirror, she is still surprised by the women that looks back. That woman in the mirror is older more marked up than the woman she is in her mind. She sees that “damage” and marks as not just beautiful but also an indication of wisdom.