August Update: Crocus Street
A bright, bold mural for the flower that stands for new beginnings
I started this mural on the 7th of August and it took a record 6 working days to be completed. The weather and the lift machine cooperated and I had some wonderful helpers. The residents of 1 Crocus Street, Nora and John, were incredibly supportive and helpful. They have lived in the area for 50 years!
Crocus Street: originally not included
I didn’t actually have a design for Crocus Street until just before starting the mural: the original commission was for 9 murals all in a row on the Flower Streets, with no unpainted houses separating them. The gable end of the other side of Crocus Street is severely damaged; the house has problems with subsidence. However, along the way, we felt it wasn’t right to leave out the residents of Crocus Street, and it was decided to have the mural on this newer build: the house with bricks.
A spring flower with a rich heritage
Crocuses are goblet-shaped flowers that appear in late winter and herald the start of spring. Like snowdrops, they grow from bulbs and are able to pierce through the cold, hard ground with their pointy tips. The flowers are usually purple, lilac, deep yellow and white, all with a vibrant orange centre. (In countries like Iran, crocuses are highly prized for their saffron threads. Each flower produces only 3 stigmas and this is why saffron is so expensive. The word saffron - zarparān - means “golden leaves” in Persian.)
A bold, warm background
I wanted the background to be a bright, warm colour. The past three murals (Daisy and Harebell) have all had blues and violets, which lovely as they are, are all quite cool. So I chose the orange of the crocus centre to be the background colour, with two gigantic purply-mauve crocuses in the centre of the archway. I want this mural to be bright and warm even in the cold and dreariness of winter. The residents all love it!
A poem told from the point of view of a crocus
While I was still finishing Harebell Street mural, I met up with Nora from Crocus Street, and we read the following poem together:
Down in my solitude under the snow,
Where nothing cheering can reach me;
Here, without light to see how to grow,
I’ll trust to nature to teach me.
I will not despair – nor be idle, nor frown,
Locked in so gloomy a dwelling;
My leaves shall run up, and my roots shall run down,
While the bud in my bosom is swelling.
Soon as the frost will get out of my bed,
From this cold dungeon to free me,
I will peer up with my little bright head,
And all will be joyful to see me.
Then from my heart will young petals diverge,
As rays of the sun from their focus;
I from the darkness of earth shall emerge,
A happy and beautiful Crocus!
Many, perhaps, from so simple a flower,
This little lesson may borrow,
Patient today, through its gloomiest hour,
We come out the brighter tomorrow.
Hannah F. Gould (1789 –1865)
We both really liked the way the author compares her observations from plants and living things to the human experience. There is something to learn from every living thing. We decided to include the last two lines in the mural, and I included the poem in the sign I attached to the fencing while creating the mural, and directed local people to it for discussion and reflection.
Including the bulb as a psychological metaphor
Crocuses grow quite close to the ground - they don’t have very long stems. This can be challenging when you have a 6 metre tall archway to fill! I decided to paint the bulb and have an “underground” lower section where I marked out the lettering on a black background. Visually, it seemed to work, while hinting that even in the dark, ugly, death-like seasons of our lives, invisible new energy is at work under the surface and it is possible for us to hold on and to push through the other side into a fresh season.
The colours of the words match the colours of the images
The children who live across the street were constant visitors. One girl pointed out the following:
“Patient today” is painted the blue of the sky and purple of the crocus
“through the” is painted the colour of the leaves
“gloomiest hour” is painted the colour of clouds and rain
“we come out the” is painted the colour of the crocus’s centres
“brighter” is painted the gold of the light and the archway border
“tomorrow” is painted the colours of the mauve/purple crocuses.
How observant! I didn’t even think about that when I was choosing colours for the lettering. Must be instinctive!
A nice new sign for Crocus Street
Throughout this entire project, I’ve been learning how important names are. People always respond more positively when addressed by their name. Being confident and clear with your name helps human interaction. There didn’t seem to be a sign at this end of Crocus Street, so I painted a new one complete with postcode. Silently I think it’s also saying: “Here I am! I exist. I am valuable and significant.”
I also wrote “For the people of Kirkdale” underneath my signature. The stage of this kind of art is like writing a gift tag for a handmade present or writing a card to someone special. I hope it will be received this way, for years to come, and be an encouragement to all who see it.
Mural Milestone - 6 of 9 complete!
As you might imagine, the sense of satisfaction and exhilaration that comes from such meaningful work is indescribable, even though it’s been very intense and demanding, organisationally and mentally. I’m reminded that people feel true happiness when they have put real effort and energy into something meaningful. And if they form genuine friendships while doing it, it’s even better - like I have with some of the residents and with my faithful helpers such as Joyce, Colin and Rod!
Working so hard in August is strange, when others are away on well-deserved breaks. I can’t take a summer holiday this year, and neither can my family, because of the murals project. But it makes sense to press on before the weather gets cold. Next week: the other side of Pansy Street!
Please share this publication if you feel it would encourage and interest your friends. If you live locally, you’re very welcome to drop by and say hello, or even help out if you want to! Reply to this email if you want to do that.
Thank you for all your support.
Love this so much. Well done Madeleine