The
Process of Botanical Casting
All of my castings are original works of art that fit within that season's collective motif. Hand-cast from an original clay mold that I create using flowers and foliage from my cut flower farm and my natural environment.
The casts are made with Hydrocal, a fine casting plaster that captures delicate details that often are overlooked in real life - the tiny hairs on a stem, the intricate flower stamens and pistils, the tracing of veins on a leaf.
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As every tile is handmade, the shade of the plaster and the exact dimensions may vary slightly. Each seasonal collection models the highlights of a special moment. Be it a specific heirloom variety, or a scene that is evocative of a cherished childhood memory, I will cast pieces in the dimensions that best showcase their unique properties.
The story is continued through fine art landscape photography as a way to deepen the connection to the collection. Check my exhibitions section to find a venue near you who is showing my current work.
Castings are designed as standalone works ready for display on decorative shelving or wall hanging. Some pieces are framed using floater frames in the stated colors in your order.
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Prints are available on double thickness mat board, or framed in the coveted soho thin wood frames using non glare glass and printed on fine art giclee paper. I have taken the steps to ensure that your work has the potential to increase in value and will last through the ages with proper care.
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If you have special requirements, I do accept commissioned orders and can be reached at sales@shawbotanicalart.com.
The year is a seasonal one...
All of my work is deeply intertwined with my natural environment and the daily cycle of each season. Botanical casting is one medium I use to connect personally with the flora I encounter daily. It's a vehicle that captures moments of awe and reverence in stark beauty. Captured in time, yet able to articulate graceful swaying in the Kansas breeze or the rigid natural architecture of towering native sunflowers. My work does not dazzle you with color, it beguiles you with dimension, texture and grace.
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Foraging and the Field
There is an uninterrupted link to agriculture in my family.
I strayed from the land, traveled across continents, sampled several forms of higher education and settled in a wing of a fine art museum among national and international treasures. I studied Architecture, and the embodiment of built space as it cradles the beauty and intrigue of art was the ideal setting for my creative nature to grow.
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As it grew, my path took me back. It took me back to a reemerging form of agriculture; native plants and organic cut flower farming. The immense variety present in the flowers I grow and forage on the skirts of the wetland are not for my eyes only. Through botanical casting and fine art photography, I can share their story and help connect others.
A gateway through clay
When you work in nature daily, you begin to notice all of the natural intricacies that surround you. There is a set rhythm and order to the seasons. Despite the magnitude of this, I struggled to share these observations in a way that others could deeply relate to.
As with a painting in a museum, we know that we should find it beautiful. Though, it is not until we break through the layers of knowing do we experience the real moment of recognition. That is when and where awe occurs and it is my honor to attempt through my artistic mediums of choice, to pull back the veil on the splendor that surrounds us everywhere and every day.
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