Bonsai and cypress sculptures started with Kelly's father, Richard in the 1980's when he started to create, in bronze, the trees he loved so much. Richard went to graduate school in Monterey, California and fell in love with the cypress trees that grew there. He paired these sculpted trees with a crystal base; a reminder of his roots as his parents owned gem, mineral and art galleries in the 1950s and 1960s. Often times, Kelly's parents would would in tandem on these cypress and bonsai sculptures at their studio in Arizona where they still create one-of-a-kind sculptures. Kelly's parents and brother, Rick have now created hundreds of bonsai sculptures.
Creating bonsai and cypress tree sculptures is a relatively new thing for Kelly with her creating her first bonsai in 2020 when a client asked, "have you ever made any bonsai trees with your technique?" Kelly had always planned on creating some bonsai's and cypress trees sculptures like her parents, but it took a client asking to have her give it a try.
At this point, Kelly had already been creating pine tree sculptures in the same leaf cluster technique for about 6 years, but her main focus was in creating the aspen pieces which she has been making since 2001.
So, in March 2020, Kelly created her first bonsai piece for a client to give to her husband, a bonsai cultivator, for his birthday.
Today, Kelly creates these cypress and bonsai tree sculptures for clients, galleries and shows with the largest she has created at 20" long x 16" tall.
She gains much inspiration from the Northern California coast, particularly The Sea Ranch, where she and her husband vacation atseveral times a year.
"Sea Ranch Cypress"
2024
Welded and soldered bronze on quartz druzy crystal. Acrylic paint on leaf clusters.
