Mosaic Myrtle represents the creative spirit and beauty of Mackinac.  I came to Mackinac in my early 20's upon my Aunt Bea Darrows recommendation.  She was right, I immediately fell in love with the Island, but most importantly, the people I met helped me understand that my creative spirit could be applied to my life.  I realized that  life is filled with options, and I as the artist could make it what I wanted, not what was expected.

After three seasons on the Island I moved to Chicago to pursue my art.  I returned to the Island to create a turtle that I hope will raise a significant amount of money for the community organizations on the Island.  I see this as a way for me to give back to a community that inspired me many years ago.  Myrtle is vibrant, emotional, colorful and playful...yet very strong (thus named after my grandmother).  I hope someone will fall in love with her and give her a great place to dwell.  She is valuable being created out of long hours of hard work and love.  Treat her well.

The butterfly on Myrtle's right side pays tribute to Doug Beardsley who was quite a pioneer when he started the Butterfly House on Mackinac Island.  I am very inspired by people with vision and sipping coffee, listening to loud Classical music with butterflies flitting around was a great creative inspiration for me.  I also remember Doug telling me he was starting the Butterfly House so he could leave his mark on the world. That's the gift of creativity, it allows us to leave something behind as a signature.
 

I'd like to thank the Village Inn for sponsorship, The Mackinac Island School for their hospitality and workshop and all the staff at the school who helped me daily, especially Mike who changed the light bulbs so I could see what I was creating.  Last but not least, I'd like to thank Anneke for sending me the application and Laura who housed me and arranged for me to work at the school. 

Denise Milito

See more examples of Denise's creativity at http://www.tortoiseplay.com.