Felted Art: “Vitality”, 2024
 
Needle felted. Appx. 5" h x 2"w. Comes with the glass jar as shown in the photos. Measures appx. 7" in height with the jar.
 
MIA'S INSPIRATION:
I grew up in the south of then Soviet Russia with 5-6 months of cold winters. The below zero temperatures didn’t seem the focus of our being. I don’t remember yearning for spring because of warner days; I wanted a change of seasons for flowers (my granny’s garden had them in abundance), and for fresh produce that we - and everyone else in town, actually- grew in our gardens.

Fresh greens were non existent in the winter other than at public markets where one would have to pay for a bunch of parsley or chives a quarter or more of their monthly income.

Aside from canned vegetables and fruits that my family worked tirelessly all summer in the garden to prepare, my granny would make her own greens by sticking a few onion bulbs in small glass jars with water. She would line a few up on every windowsill. I was fascinated to see the daily growth of green sprouts stretching up, as if looking for some dull sunshine that might momentously peek through gray cloud holes.

The green onion sprouts were a treat on a sandwich or as garnish or topping for a hot soup or entree. That was my granny’s way to get some vitamins in the winter.