Oh my darling….oh my darling Clementine….thou art lost and gone forever….

At the end of winter in NY it can be hard to find colour in the park foliage. The environment is monochromatic browns, with splatters of dark ivy and fir green here and there. With spring so close, I am often scanning the ground, trees and shrubs, for bursts of colour.  With green shoots just beginning to stretch, not much colour can be found.

Recently in an attempt at some colourful art with some little friends, we made twig and clementine peel totems. I happened to have some clementines in my post playgroup pick-up bag, that were quickly devoured by the three girls I took to the playground after class. The peel of the clementine was so vibrant in my hand that it seemed too precious against the dullness of winter to put in the garbage bin. I started threading a stick with small bits and then the next moment there was a gaggle of girls with sticks in hand. The wonderful thing about creating with children is that when they want to do something, they do it with such enthusiasm. This is the result of our artistic work.