Steve has been a "Plant Doctor" aka Agricultural Scientist for over 40 years. He studied Biology at Stanford University, and got his PhD in Plant Pathology from UC Davis. He has worked on the scientific side of plants, working on ways to help farmers deal with various pest issues; however it was only recently that he began utilizing plants to create art.
Thanks to his passion for walking and hiking in San Diego County, Steve is never in short supply of plant materials to forage or "curate" and utilize for art pieces.
The artwork you see here is the combination of left brain and right brain; precise, analytical, math-loving meets creative, intuitive, artistic. Your feedback and commission requests are welcome!
Steve periodically offers his art for sale at events in San DIego county at locations such as Bates Nut Farm
The origin of the materials I use is part of the art story.
European settlers inadvertently introduced a wild species of oats (Avena fatua) to the New World and it has become very common in many natural and developed landscapes throughout California. It has a long part of its stem between the top node and the seedhead, and this makes a straight, foldable source of "lines" for art projects and comes in many lengths and thicknesses. There is a similar wild wheatgrass (Agropyron) in Colorado
Eucalyptus trees were brought to California from Australia hoping that these fast-growing trees would be good for making railroad ties but the wood ended up being too prone to warp. There are many different species still growing throughout the state and some have long strips of bark of various textures, colors and thicknesses and some that break in intricate curves. Over time Steve has developed methods of working with this bark's unique features.
This native vine produces painfully spiky fruit with huge seeds but the inner lining can make a beautiful material for something like sea turtule flippers
The Cochineal scale insect (Dactylopsis coccus) lives on Nopal cactus. It has been used for centuries by Indigenous peoples as a food coloring or textile dye creating the color "carmine." Steve found a source along a local trail and has made a supply of the dye for various projects - particularly for the background wood.
Norfolk Pine(Araucaria heterophylla) is native to the island of that name and it grows quite well in San Diego. It forms long, flexible branches of "needles" which vary greatly in size, color and texture. These have a wooden core and can be split for gluing in art projects. It is a particularly good for making curved design elements and for making rims.
Eucalyptus bark is used to make a sea turtle's shell and the inner lining of a wild cucumber (Marah) used for the detail on the flippers and head. Unusual bark that breaks in wavy strips is used to make a gnarled tree
The meditation circles are made of oat grass, and created with painstaking geometric precision. The act of picking each stalk and placing it is an exercise in patience, resulting in a mesmerizing final mandala-style art piece. Enjoy getting lost in the concentric details.
Every eucalyptus piece is as unique as each tree is from each other. The designs emerge from the property of the materials and how they lends themselves to be cut, bent, broken into strips and/or tinted.
Stay tuned...
