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 bark itself and how it lends itself to be bent, curved or cut.
Share your inspiration with the artist, and select a final size. Color, subject matter, and materials are all variable based on your request.
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, solving disease issues for years, 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 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!
One of Steve's pieces was selected for a contest in Carlsbad, CA starting 8/4/24. Steve will be marketing on Etsy
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. There is a similar wild wheatgrass (Agropyron) in Colorado, shown here.
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 warped. There are many different species still growing throughout the state and some have long strips of bark of various textures, colors and thicknesses. Over time Steve has developed methods of working with this bark's unique features.
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.
Stay tuned...
