BLOG. Spring. The first appearance of the 11:11 in my artwork.

Gently
Brushing the cobwebs
Veiling your face. Ever so softly now.
Wiping the tears that no-one sees. Is anyone watching?
For a brief moment. I caress the contours of your face. You 'speak' to me.
I feel the neglect, the desecration, the disfigurement, the sorrow.
But you are HERE.
Waiting silently for Spring. To see the beauty of nature all around you.
You rejoice to connect. With every passer-by.
With me NOW. ~Ally.

This article follows on from The first appearance of the 11:11 in my artwork.

I photographed the statue called Spring sometime in the late 90’s and created this collage entitled 'Spring' as part of a series for my first solo exhibition: Spirals, Twists and Turns in The Palm House Gallery in the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens in 2000.

While I was setting up the exhibition, I noticed that the statue Spring wasn’t in the gardens. Upon inquiring, I was told that she had been vandalized once again.

Look closely at the collage and you can see that Spring had already lost her arm, but her nose and eyes were intact and were truly aesthetically pleasing.
 

Be real. Be yourself. Be unique.
Be true. Be honest. Be humble. Be happy.
 ~Marilyn Monroe.

The Continuing Story of 'Spring.'

Recently  I found myself on The Spring Walk in the Botanical Gardens: The oldest continuous horticulture display in Australia.

Even from a distance, my attention was immediately drawn to the figure of Spring, standing by the small bridge, at the far end of the Macquarie Wall. 

She's back again.

I didn't mind being thought of as dumb. I knew I wasn't.
 ~Marilyn Monroe.
 

Spring's garden.

The wisterias and plum and cherry blossom trees that feature along the Spring Walk in the early Spring had reached their peak several weeks ago ~ Blossom time never seems to last quite long enough, does it? Still, some of the garden beds were in magnificent full bloom with Spring annuals: Red poppies and cornflowers, violas and lobelias, stocks and primulas.

The area immediately around Spring seemed to me to be slightly on the desolate side. For me, Spring should always be surrounded by an absolutely Heavenly Garden.

Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
 ~Marilyn Monroe.
 

Cobwebs.

I was aware of the thought: Is anyone watching? As I gently wiped the cobwebs away from Spring's face.

The real lover is the one who can thrill you
Just by touching your forehead or smiling into your eyes.
 ~Marilyn Monroe.
 

Broken.

 Standing silently day and night in the harsh summer sun and winter's wind and rain. Spring's nose was now broken and her eyes bore marks of weathering.

I felt as a mother, caressing the face of a young child. Was anyone watching? It didn't seem to matter anymore. I was held in a bubble. I could feel her energy. Hard to describe now in words and perhaps if you have ever experienced anything like this you may understand.

It was as if Spring was alive and was letting me see her world.

I feel that beauty and femininity are ageless.
 ~Marilyn Monroe.
 

Beauty.

Nearly all my life I have loved perfection and equated it with beauty. But Spring gave me yet another example of the beauty that can be in a statue or a human being that is slightly less than my ideal of perfection.

I want to have the courage to be loyal to the face I have made.
 ~Marilyn Monroe.

A second collage entitled 'Spring' as part of the series for Spirals, Twists and Turns. 

She was a girl who knew how to be happy: Even when she was sad. 
~Marilyn Monroe.
 

The Graveyard at the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

This is an old photograph of Spring in the 'Graveyard' before she lost her arm. You can see her at the back, second from the right in this photograph.

Photograph: Heritage marble statuary at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Everyone's a star and deserves the right to twinkle.
 ~Marilyn Monroe.
 

Collage and Photography: ©Alison Lee Cousland.
#myphoto #myart #art #collage #photography