
The artist, David Rogers, of Glenwood Landing, NY began sculpting at age 13. Initially welding abstract sculptures from discarded metal scraps, in the mid 1970s his attention turned to common insects and new materials such as forest products. After a ten year period of working in other media such as ceramics, in 1990 he returned to outdoor sculptures. After initial works of dinosaurs using saplings, branches, and vines, he began dinosaur-sized insects. The exhibit first debuted at the Dallas Arboretum in 1994, and in total consists of 40 sculptures of 14 different subjects. An exhibit site often may not contain all subjects, as this exhibit contained ten different insects. Weight of sculptures varies from 30 to 1200 pounds. As an example of the size, the ladybug below is 7ft long, 4 ft wide, and 3 ft high; the ant shown is 25ft long, 12ft wide, 10ft high. Often inspired by natural branches, green wood is often used for curvature. Types of wood used are typically willow, red cedar, black walnut, and black locust. In addition, forest items used include bark, dried branches, vines, and plate fungi.
| Where am I? Perry's Perennial Pages | Photos and Files | Gardens of the Month |