Great Serpent Compound

The following three pieces were all found in the book A World of Art by Henry M. Sayre. The three sculptures, Puppy, Cloud Gate, and Great Serpent Mound, where all selected because of their relevance to nature. Both Puppy and The Great Serpent Mound are almost literally made of natural material, particularly vegetation. On the other hand, Cloud Gate is made of stainless steal, but yet the steal reflects it’s surrounding. Particularly Could Gate reflects the sky above it, and thus incorporates nature. I personally have endless admiration for the natural world and find the artist who are able to creatively incorporate it into their work admirable. All of these pieces are noticeably appealing in their overall design, enough to stop any passer-by
The former had a very simple “bean” shape and is minimalistic and elegant in overall compositions. The latter sculpture has a very organic design aspect to it, with simple shapes and swirls. In contrast, Puppy is by far less simplistic, in fact exaggerated. The overall shape is more specific to a dog and it holds a tremendous amount of variety of plants all in a wide variety of hues. Overall, all these works have both high aesthetic as well as artistic value. Weather the sculptures are making commentary on current cultures materialistic, luxurious taste, as Puppy does, or emphasizing the beauty of the surroundings, as Cloud Gate does, or simply leaving people puzzled at the mysteries of the past, such as the Great Serpent Mound does, all these works are worth significant
The piece is made using charcoal and ink. The artwork is arranged in a series of 9 squares, each displaying the bird of paradise in a different angle. The background is composed of a light ink wash layered with fine point pen stippling. Each of the squares contains a unique gradient that emphasis the flower. The flower located in the center square has the overall lightest background so as to draw the viewers eye to the center of the piece. The flowers are drawn using both white and black charcoal. The bird of paradise flowers are drawn in a realistic manner but the way they are arranged is hints to the abstract. This drawing is meant to invoke a sense of appreciation towards nature, particularly the plant kingdom. The piece attempts to communicate the artist infinite fascination with the natural world and the endless search for paradise. Bird of Paradise indirectly attempts to imply that without this admiration, respect, and ecological care for the natural world, there will be no more paradise. The artist donates a part of the profit for this drawing to the non profit Rainforest Action