When the willy-wag-tail came to visit my garden, he made his presence felt by flashing that tail, fanned out as he flitted from branch to branch very nearby. I remember reading to Leo as a child the story of this little black and white bird as the messenger of a death, one of the stories of the Dreamtime. Our little girl, registered as Amara Kheir Solomon has been peacefully laid to rest in the ground surrounded by gum trees, colourful chirping birds and no doubt laughing kookaburras for company. Her resting place backs onto a farmyard, comforting for Mel who spent her young years living on a nearby farm, and near where Amara is 'nurturing the Earth', as Mel said to me.
I thought about including some lovely white flowers within the glowing full moon, having bought a mini version of Magnolia Grandiflora “Little Gem”. Not only a lovely botanical name for our girl, Mel and Leo have an avenue of these gorgeous plants along their driveway, with their full moon and beautifully scented flowers, their dark green leaves and velvety brown undersides. Either it has been difficult to make decisions about the placement of the floral symbols at the edges and corners of the square – or I need time to cherish our little gem, loved so much and missed so dearly. They will show the way in time.
Waratahs are at each of the four corners, placed there to keep Amara bright company under the gum trees. My indigenous friend Cheryl has told me that the Eora word ‘warada’ has the meaning of ‘seen from afar’, so beautifully relevant here. Roses are there to carry the love that so many of us have for her, especially her beautiful parents, Leo and Mel, and grieving grandparents. Another dearly loved friend, so present in Leo’s early life is represented by the roses, which had featured in her personal story quilt. Rob was my antenatal support person and present at his birth 33 years ago. Positioned at the Cross Quarter points, they are also the cycle that is birth, blossoming into life, coming to fullness and then manifesting renewal. There is a group of four roses at the base of the of the leaf circle for Mel, Leo, myself and Amara's bud.
Gum leaves, retrieved when one caught my eye while wandering through the garden, have become a fascination for me over the years with their different sizes, shapes and colours – ‘leaf litter’, as it’s called. I have been picking up those that have called to me, attracting me to check them out by their colour, size or shape. Australian eucalyptus trees are famously not deciduous in the autumn. They lose their leaves all year round, leaving a deep litter of multi-coloured, misshapen and chewed leaves on the ground. Some just fading back to feed the earth, some get eaten away and others are still quite green and young, all of which seems to be so analogous to the human condition.
I have been collecting these natural items of fascination over time, tracing and cutting onto various home dyed fabrics with a fusible backing attached, ready to be used in the next creative venture. Little did I know that they would be used in this tiny memorial wall- hanging. Both lovers of our beautiful natural environments, it is heartbreaking that Mel and Leo could not share their love for the beauty of our Australian bushland with their little daughter as she grew through them. Trying to move on, while feeling devastated and vulnerable, I’d seen a very sweet photo of the eyes of a baby possum peeking out through a nest of leaves; she looked very safe, secure and comfortable. It also brought to mind a drawing in my visual diary of what we can to be grateful for. My shoebox ‘gumleaf’ collection was a resource to form a circle of protection around Amara's moon motif at the centre. And most significantly, it represents the wider circle of friends and family, those who are saddened by her loss. Another nest will be built.
This work is "Possum dreaming" by indigenous artist, Molly Peterson (Coral Street Art Space). It speaks to me cross culturally, marking the four directions, holistic environments, seasonal changes, all brought together into the central circle that unites them/us all. Ironically, I had searched for 'possum' hoping that the image mentioned above would turn up. This one did instead....not complaining! Such a wonderful painting, and so resonates.
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