2008 award winner
Dixie College Invitational Art Show

Ala began as a tribute to the hummingbirds that built nests just outside the windows of our desert home. The nest she holds in her hands is the same size as the hummingbird nests on our patio. The hummingbird that sits on her shoulder is the symbol of joy. “Nurture nature” is engraved above the dragonfly just below the spiral at her center. A caterpillar can be found on the vines around her lower body and a butterfly on her back (the symbol of transformation) sits just below her fused glass heart. An open lotus flower adorns her head.

She is appropriately named Ala, meaning the wing. Her message is our connection to nature, which we honor as our teacher, hold dear as our friend, and protect as our child. Mother Nature is continually showing us how to grow and evolve in our own metamorphosis. When I was nearly finished creating Ala, my mother passed away. This sculpture represents nurturing. As we learn to nurture ourselves and others, we become our own best mothers.

Bronze sculpture by Cheryl Collins 33” tall on 30” base = 5 ¼ ‘ tall