Using traditional metalsmithing techniques, I create objects and immersive sculptural environments that encourage excitement and commemoration for our natural world.   Through hand fabrication of realistic botanical metal sculpture,  my work  investigates our interconnected relationship with the fragile ecosystem of a quickly changing planet.  

This practice attempts to arrest time and capture the fleeting moments that define the essential characteristics of each specimen by recreating their likeness in a timeless material. 

Working within a matter of days till the cut specimen expire, while also against the progression of a season that dictates its’ availability, it is impossible to rely solely upon the physical specimen as a muse, resulting in sculptures that are sometimes informed by fictitious evolutions and botanical fantasies.

By memorializing single stems, the outside world is brought indoors where the sculptures take on different identities, asking the viewer to pause and observe.  I intend for this simple act of observation to spur increased reverence for the natural world we simultaneously shepherd and depend upon.  

My most recent body of work pushes this concept by creating sculptures that also function as bud vases; the metal foliage, timeless, adorned by cut flowers conversely allowed to wither and expire in real time.  

contact: AlisonLaytonStudio@gmail.com

@ALISONLAYTONSTUDIO