Alison Layton is a  sculptor whose work is an act of commemoration,  suspending  select botanical specimen  in sterling silver, copper, brass, and bronze.  Trained in fine art and metalsmithing at  the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, she then moved to New York and spent more than a decade working with celebrated florist Emily Thompson. Immersed in the city’s historic Flower Market, she developed an intimate knowledge of botanical form, seasonality, and various landscapes ranging from Hawaii, the English countryside and the deserts of the American West.  These experiences directly inform her studio practice, in metal  as well as floral design. 

Layton’s sculptural practice began with a desire to preserve the fleeting beauty of cut flowers. Working primarily in metal, she creates enduring studies of rare, endangered, and personally significant botanical specimens while capturing their delicacy, irregularity, and at times,  shriveling petals. This  practice has expanded to include unconventional vases, candlesticks, and mirrors; sculptural objects designed to interact with and echo the natural world.  

Featured in The New York Times and held in private collections, Layton’s work gives lasting form to the beauty, fragility, and transformation of our rapidly changing planet.