Artist: Michael Wilson Year: 1997 Location: 725 Main Road, Eltham
Standing outside the long time workshop of local jeweller, Michael Wilson, this work, gifted to the Nillumbik Collection in 1997, depicts one of the artist’s recurring symbols; a creature known for its piercing summer song, common to the area. Made of steel and powdercoated in aluminium with a concrete base. Decorative elements such as the ring encasing the cicada and the cicada's wings are guilded with 24ct gold leaf. The steel rod is burgundy in colour with the cicada painted a dark olive green to represent the 'Green Grocer' variety common in Eltham. The colours used in this sculpture match the surrounding Elm and Ash trees in the landscape. Michael Wilson learnt the craft of Goldsmithing after seeing well-known sculptor and silversmith Matcham Skipper working in his studio at Montsalvat in and around 1970. This work is a gift to the Eltham Community in recognition of his 25 years of developing his goldsmith skills and operating his business within the Shire. Wilson officially opened his commercial premises in 1985.