Portfolio > Feral Gardens, 2014-2016

Poison Flower, Star Flower
Soda fired stoneware and translucent porcelain
approx. 30" wide
2015
Poison Flower
Soda fired stoneware and translucent porcelain
approx. 20" wide
2015
Poison Flower
High fire stoneware and translucent porcelain
approx. 26" wide
2016
Poison Flower
Soda fired stoneware and translucent porcelain
approx. 25" wide
2016
Poison Flower, Feral Bloom (detail of porcelain illuminated)
Soda fired stoneware and translucent porcelain
2016
Poison Flower
Soda fired stoneware and translucent porcelain
approx. 19" wide
2016
Poison Flower
Soda fired stoneware and translucent porcelain
approx. 17" wide
2015
Poison Flower
Stoneware and Translucent Porcelain
2015
Hot Mess
Translucent Porcelain
Approx. 15" long
2016
Hot Mess
Translucent Porcelain
Approx. 15" long
2016
Garden Anole Plaque
Raku fired Stoneware with Cone 6 porcelain tile
Approx. 15" long
2013
Anole Plaque
Raku fired Stoneware with Cone 6 porcelain tile
Approx. 12" long
2013
Gecko Plaque
Raku fired Stoneware with Cone 6 porcelain tile
Approx. 12" long
2013
Fence Lizard Platter
Cone 6 Stoneware
Approx. 15" long
2014
Anole Platter
Cone 6 Stoneware
Approx. 15" wide
2014
Chicken God
High Fire Stoneware
Approx. 4 feet tall
2014
Raku Rooster
Raku fired Stoneware
2014
Raku Rooster
raku
2013
Raku Rooster
raku
2012
Bullfrog Plaque
Raku fired Stoneware
Approx. 12" wide
2013
Surrealist Crawfish Manifesto #1
Cone 6 Stoneware
Approx. 18" long
2013
Surrealist Crawfish Manifesto #2
Cone 6 Stoneware
Approx. 12" long
2013

Feral Gardens is a body of work that has developed over many years; this work was obviously inspired by my life-long interest in the study of nature. These ideas also have strong ties to my experience working for my step-father in the taxidermy studio. The imagery and design of much of the work was also influenced by my grandfather, who owned a chain of flower shops and taught floral design at the local community college.

However, the initial ideas for the actual pieces began to germinate when I was first introduced to the work of Bernard Palissy (French ceramic artist, 1510 -1590), and how he constructed idyllic portraits of natural systems (ceramic versions of ecosystems, very similar to the taxidermy displays found in a museum of natural history). In much the same way that Palissy created compositions depicting ideal scenes in nature, I have been creating work that focuses on nature, but without removing the influence of human activity.

I have explored land all over this country, from Southern Louisiana and Florida to remote areas of Montana and Alaska (and just about everything in-between), and have discovered that I am unable to find anything ‘pristine’ or un-touched by the human hand. The remote corners of the world have all been manipulated and changed by human activity; the wildest places 100 years ago are now tamed with roadways, convenience stores, and mini-malls. I once explored the Atchafalaya Basin in a pirogue – in addition to seeing snakes and alligators I also saw a half-submerged dishwasher and a floating diaper.

However, life is tenacious. Nature quickly reclaims what we abandon -- vacant buildings are consumed by vines and termites, empty lots become over-grown jungles, and animals of all sorts thrive in the ruin and rubble of our neglect and waste. Although far from pristine or un-touched, the wildest places I’ve enjoyed exploring have been on the fringes of cities (or sometimes even within the city).