Lost no more.

I have been looking for a sculpture

that has been lost in my garden for more than a year.

It was a child student who made this and it has become

 a symbol of differing ability and proved a learning lesson 

in teaching for me.

 The other day I was very excited to see this

Last time I saw it was after a weeding effort

I looked for a new spot for it but decided to 

return it to the original spot so I knew where it was.

I have spent much time looking for it ever since as the garden

once again became out of control and overgrown.

In fact I have done some serious cutting and pruning 

over this past year in this area just looking for the figure.

The soil has coloured the raw clay, no wonder it was hard to find

Oh my goodness, a winter flowering gladdy in a most inappropriate place

Would it have forced up the sculpture as it tried to grow,

we will never know

This is such a genuine naive piece

There was a student of the same age in the same after school class.

she had made a figurine of her grandmother

in a rocking chair, wearing bunny rabbit slippers and spectacles

It was amazing, such detail, such fine work....it was finished with the same

attention to detail, beautifully underglazed.

I enter all students work in the local agricultural show and I try

to ensure that every child will win a prize for their efforts.

Most of the sections are divided by age group which means

the students are always competing against each other

I was aware that the student of the above work had an aide 

in her regular classroom to assist her with her learning.

It was with the best of intentions that 

I entered this piece in the disabled section.

She won first prize, as did 

the Grandma in the rocking chair with bunny slippers.

She asked me what disabled meant when I gave her her prize.

I stumbled over the teachers aide rationale.

I never saw her in class again and as you can see she 

left her winning figure behind.

I love it, 

however it reminds me that perhaps she should have competed

with her age group, we will never know how she would have gone,

Maybe third prize or award of merit may have 

kept after school pottery as an option for her.