Hanging On When Everything Changes

When I was asked to make a tree for a birthday present recently, the only instructions I had were "I need it by Saturday and it needs to have a lot of orange in it. The lady I'm giving it to, orange is her favorite color." 

"Do you mean orange leaves?" I asked.  "Do you have any type of tree in mind?  Is this an autumn tree, or like a little bonzai or something?"

"Don't ask me, you're the artist."  She said.  Ouch!  Pressure and responsibility, and not exactly a lot of time to come up with an idea.  And yet, just minutes later the form this custom request would take appeared crisply focused in my mind's eye.

I titled this tree "Last Leaf of the Season." The image speaks about tenacity and strength, and hanging on to the very end. The little duck looking up is about how your tenacity and strength inspires others.  "Last Leaf" is also a cute little thing, but I put 100% of my energy on making this piece as special and magical and unique as I do the more overtly esoteric "vision quest" pieces.  At 2 in the morning, felting needles flying, I was transported to places that have real seasons and could literally feel the cool autumn breeze on my skin..  I hope "Last Leaf" brings a soothing, introspective healing bit of magic into the home where it now dwells.