5. Brilliant shades of blue and turquoise form gears and flowers. Calico plates continue the cog motif in this work by local artist Patrick Robertson, who assisted the artist throughout the Camden Wall project. Keepsake "Buck County" dogwood plates – yellow plates with black script – came from a family's northern beach cottage, are included in the lower right
Cog #5
7. The cog theme continues, introducing hornets. The flying insects appear as a recurring design theme, referencing the "Hornet's Nest" moniker earned by Southern soldiers during Revolutionary War.
8. This mosaic combines elements of ugly face jug pottery with traditional bottle tree ornamentation. The bottle tree honors childhood observations of Wilmore, an older Charlotte neighborhood adjacent to South End. The bottle tree, symbolic of spirit capture in Yoruba and African-American cultures often appeared in neighbor's front yards. It was thought that painting dead trees and decorating them with glass bottles would capture evil spirits and prevent their interference with daily life. Donated pieces in this mosaic include willowware, a green and black ceramic pitcher, and a favorite creamer bequeathed from mother to son. Lovebirds appear, foretelling stories ahead.
9. From behind a screen door, a girl watches a dragonfly. The water sprinkler in the front yard indicates a summer day. Petunias bask in a rubber intertube planter. Cardinals perch on a weeping cherry tree. The willow tree hints at willowware. Hornets circle, a mosquito hovers, and a cicada rests on a poplar branch, while dandelions bloom below.