Everglades 'Grassy Serenity'

Fri, Jun 17th, 2016 I meet scores of people at art shows across the count; from Florida to Texas -- Colorado to New York and everywhere in between.

Once you've seen my work and know the 'feel' of the dimensional wall art - you'll know if it's right for your home. Though I can often come for a home visit, the beauty of the internet is I don't have to. We can exchange images and ideas and then a few phone conversations and I'm off and running. That's how the creative process evolved with Melinda & Dan in Fort Myers, FL.

I met Melinda at ArtFest Fort Myers in February, 2016. I hadn't been to that show in years and decided to head back. I'm glad I did! Melinda liked my work especially because she had never seen anything like it. The art space she was considering in her home needed 'something different' and complimentary to her current art collection.

Melinda and Dan transplanted their lives to southern Florida from Ohio. They both love the natural landscape around which their home is built and want to honor Florida's Wetlands in this art piece.

Overlooking Pelican Bay, birds, grasses and the quiet of the southern marsh lands are all around them. Inside their home, paintings of Egrets, Swans and other natural scenes adorn their walls. A cobalt blue candle holder and a hand blown glass vase, purchased in Venice, Italy are jumping off points for some of the colors they want to highlight that will tie their Entry and Dining Room together.

After a few conversations where we exchanged ideas and images, I began my design work. I provided a drawing from the 'landscape' images I received. Elements of the photos were pulled together to create a collage of Marsh life in southern Florida.

Florida's Everglade system begins in Orlando, where the Kissimmee River flows into Lake Okeechobee, which takes a 100 mile journey trickling through thousands of tributaries and down into the everglades. It is this vast movement of water, ebbing & flowing through the seasons, that creates the marshlands, cypress swamps and mangrove 'forests' for which the Everglades are famous. This vibrant ecosystem is one of the reason Florida's amazing array of birds call this home.

The Everglades were called Pahayokee by Native Americans, translated to mean 'Grassy Waters'. It is in that spirit, that this mural is created.

Tiles were cut and lines were sketched in clay. Next, volume, dimension and depth of field are created, defined and refined. Almost a week on the table carving, cleaning and honing to capture the subtlety and the mural is left to fully dry.

It was fired in a bisque kiln and glazed. This piece was so large I had to build a special table for it outside of my glazing room. For the 3 days it was on the table I was dodging raindrops and tropical storms and finally it was ready to go into the second firing. The 50" x 50" wall art is out of the kiln, framed and ready to head to Fort Myers for the final install.

Grassy Serenity is a success! Melinda gasped when she first saw the piece "It's more beautiful than I had ever imagined", she said. Dan, who had not yet seen my work in person, just said "WOW! That's amazing." Oftentimes it's the simplest and most sincere reactions that say the most.

Thank you Melinda & Dan... for traveling down the path of creation with me. Our collaboration yielded Grassy Serenity a perfect entryway piece for your home. It is always an honor to be invited into clients' lives for a few months to make an art piece. It is of course, one of my greatest pleasures as well! Thank you & Enjoy.

Would you like to start a conversation about creating a custom wall sculpture for your home? Here's where it all begins.