Hardwood Calathea

"Hardwood Calathea" transforms a living houseplant into a study of permanence, growth, and the relationship between nature and human hands. Carved entirely from Purple Heart, the sculpture captures the plant’s long, undulating leaves and intricate patterns while replacing its fleeting biology with the enduring character of wood.

The intense purple hues of Purpleheart create a striking tension between the familiar and the surreal. What appears at first to be a living plant becomes something distinctly unnatural—a botanical form preserved not through drying or pressing, but through transformation.

The work explores the impulse to imitate nature while simultaneously altering it. Each carved leaf retains the gesture and movement of the original plant, yet the material, color, and permanence make it unmistakably sculptural. Rattlesnake Plant is both an homage to the complexity of the natural world and a reminder that even our attempts to preserve nature inevitably become something new.

13" x 20" x 13"

December, 2025. Purple Heart with stainless steel stems in a ceramic base.