Touch-Ups For The Bunny Garden

By Shannon Hicks

Ken Memoli was at The Pleasance last week, taking a good look at the sculptures that are in The Bunny Garden. In the year since the children’s garden that is part of the public park and garden at the corner of Sugar and Main Streets has been installed, plenty of children have found their way into the area populated by cement rabbits, a farmer, birds and other characters who call the thicket in the property’s northern corner home.

Mr Memoli was not just visiting the garden, however. He was there to see how its inhabitants fared through their first full year of living in Newtown.

The Lime Rock resident was in Newtown at the request of Helen and Scudder Smith, the owners of The Pleasance. Last year the Smiths commissioned Mr Memoli to create the sculptures for the children’s garden. The statues are reminiscent of the rabbit characters created by the late 19th and early 20th Century by children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, of whom Mrs Smith has long been a fan. Mr Memoli returned to the garden last week to reapply paint where needed, which was then covered by a coat of clear acrylic.

On August 20, he seemed pleased to see everyone again. He was also able to see for himself how children have responded to the garden — which also includes winding paths, a 6-by-8-foot Victorian cottage, a potting shed, and gardens — since its opening in July 2007.

“I heard some giggling and little voices when I first got here,” he said. “Three young children were playing in the back of the garden when I first arrived, and now there is another group here. They’ve been exploring for a little while.”

That second group included Beryl Harrison, who was in the garden with two of her grandchildren. Morgan, age 2, and Tyler, 4, have been enchanted with the garden since they first found it last year, she said.

“Every time we drive by The Pleasance the kids point out here and say ‘We want to see the bunny house!’” said their father, Trevor Harrison, who was enjoying the shade provided by the park’s nearby gazebo. Tyler would not say which part of the garden is his favorite, but Morgan said she loved the house and the rabbits.

“I wave Hello and wave Good-Bye all the time,” the toddler said.

The majority of the characters have done very well during their first year, reported Mr Memoli, who designed and hand painted the resin-fortified, cast cement statues. At his studio, Zephyr Studio in Lakeville. Most needed only the quick touch-up and acrylic coating.

“This is a tile sealer, a very high quality one. People can walk on it, so putting it on these pieces once a year is fine,” he said.

While in town Mr Memoli also replaced six small baskets that accompany each bunny in the garden. Originally created of cement, most had had their handles broken off during the past year, so the artist re-created the baskets, which are “filled” with blackberries, this time using a high-strength resin.

“Hopefully kids will be a little gentle with them,” he said. “I would hate to have to replace them again next year.”