François Poisson: The Bunny Car and Friends

June 13 - August 23, 2009

Mother, 2001 Oil on carved wood, cast iron, found objects

Artist François Poisson explores what makes us feel safe and what brings us pain in “François Poisson: The Bunny Car and Friends,” opening on June 13.

At first glance, these painted wood sculptures, enhanced with trompe l’oeil effects and found objects, seem deceptively playful. Some are intended to represent “nurturing and safety,” according to the artist. But others “have to do with pain and suffering.” Many feature the once-common face of a popular toy from the 1950s and 60s: a big-eyed bunny with rouged cheeks, and a “what’s coming next” expression that seems more guarded than curious in this context.

Poisson has trained formally as a woodworker, painter and model maker. “For a few years, I tried to combine painting with woodworking. With the bunny cars, I hit a good combination. I’ve spent abut ten years working in this vein,” explains Poisson, who says artist and illustrator Richard Scarry greatly influenced his creative expression.

Newport Art Museum curator Nancy Whipple Grinnell has been following Poisson's intriguing and at times baffling work since the artist exhibited in the 2001 Newport Annual Members’ Juried Exhibition. “The juxtaposition of childhood innocence and military combat vehicles, evident in pieces such as War Machine and Recovery Vehicle, seems particularly relevant in these times,” observes Grinnell.

More About François Poisson: François Poisson has headed the art department at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut since 2001. He has been an art educator since the mid-1980s and has held teaching positions at the Rhode Island School of Design, University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Assumption College amongst others. Between 1994 and 1999, Poisson worked as a model maker and designer for Item group, one of the largest product development companies in the U.S.In 1999/2000, Poisson served as Artist-in-Residence at Brown University. His work has been exhibited at numerous galleries and institutions in Rhode Island, Michigan, Massachusetts and Texas. Poisson holds a Certificate of Mastery in Woodworking from the Worcester Center for Crafts, a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in Painting from the University of Michigan.

VIEW MORE images of Poisson’s work.