Carmen Almon

Nigella with Black Dryad

2023

Carmen Almon uses copper sheeting, brass tubing, steel wire and enamel paint to create exquisite botanical sculptures. She captures the fragility of a moment in time by interpreting particular plants based on her memories of them. “These botanical compositions seem to defy their sheet-metal origins to come alive. Branches bend, vines loop, leaves twist, and a few surprising bugs, from butterflies to beetles, drop in to colonize her plants.” Through her work, one is reminded of the beautifully illustrated botanical books of the 17th and 18th century – Linneaeus, Ehret, Redouté – which Carmen often refers to for inspiration. Each piece takes up to twelve weeks to complete, therefore, few are realized each year making them rare treasures. In reference to our human connection to flowers, Carmen states, “Romance, marriage, funerals. Subconsciously, they represent so many things, innocent beauty, courage in the face of obstacles and continuity in the cycle of life and death. When I work on a plant, I am often thinking of this.” Almon grew up in Barcelona and Washington DC and resides in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her works are exhibited at the Chinese Porcelain Gallery, NY; and Octavia Art Gallery...

Sherry Owens Windows and Maidens #6, 2019 Bronze, patina, crepe myrtle, dye, milk paint, wax 11 x 14 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches For over 30 years, sculptor Sherry Owens has used the sinewy crepe myrtle tree to tell her story of the Texas landscape, death, renewal, beauty, and of today’s growing environmental concerns. Remnants of personal stories, visions and observations in nature are the driving forces in her work. She believes that what we see and do in our daily lives leaves a mark on our planet. It is the direct impact of human activities on the natural world, which is visualized in her artistic practice. She creates connections with nature using crepe myrtle trees found along the side of the road. Each stick is hand-carved and cut to fit, then laid in place and secured with a small myrtle peg. What takes precedence in the laborious process is the importance of detail and evidence of the artist’s hand and her interaction with the materials. Sherry Owens is a native Texan, currently living and working in Dallas, TX. She received a BFA from Southern Methodist University. Recent Texas solo exhibitions include The Grace Museum; Cris Worley Fine Arts; Martin Museum of Art; Art Museum of Southeast Texas; and a two-person site-specific installation at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum. She was also included in recent exhibitions at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, TX and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, LA. She has exhibited internationally in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, India, Japan, Peru, and Turkey. Her work is currently on view in the Ground Zero 360 Remembrance Exhibition at the Museum of Biblical Art...

Dark Flora #6 – Horsetail: Foraged from a damp, boggy area of woodland in mid-summer. It includes Horsetail (Marestail), buckthorn, mallow, tutsan berry, blackberry and heather. I s...

medium: secondhand tuxedos, tuxedo shirts, and Ralph Lauren shirts, faux pearls, wood, wire, PVC tubing, Duck Tape, floral tape CARLTON SCOTT STURGILL received his Masters of Arts (...