I was commissioned by Founding Farmers Reston to create a central sculpture for their Thomas Jefferson-themed restaurant. Inspired by the experimentation of the gardens at Monticello, the finished composition references vegetables and flowers grown in the gardens, while exploring deeper themes of our relationship to nature.
Founding Farmers is known for their collaboration with local farmers. For the new Reston location – inspired by Thomas Jefferson and his Virginia home, Monticello – Founding Farmers collaborated with local and regional artists on original works of art. Each custom artwork illuminates aspects of life and agriculture at Monticello through the lens of a different artist.
My piece was inspired by the diversity of plant life and ethic of experimentation in the gardens at Monticello. As Thomas Jefferson expressed, no species of plant or animal life stands alone. Each relies on many others in “nature’s chain.” I crafted a sculpture composed of hand-felted, abstracted plant life, brimming with color on an interwoven wire structure. For me, the piece celebrates nature while questioning man’s dominion over it – we are but one link in nature’s chain.
As part of the restaurant’s collection, the piece will be there to greet you when you stop by for a sustainable, farm-to-table meal.