My art and design are a product of craft construction and manipulation of media. I have been working with organic materials and referencing these native materials in installations and drawing for more than twenty years. The forms in my installations and drawings are combinations of the organic and the geometric. My process can be described as reductive, seeking to bring work and material close to its original state through the act of making. I incorporate traditional craft approaches with an open mind that rejects impersonality and formalism. My current primary focus incorporates organic materials, such as sun-dried and hardened seedpods from South Florida's Royal Poinciana trees. This process references what is seen/unseen, familiar, and unexamined. The Royal Poinciana seedpods that I use have been aged and are presently in a wooden state. I often apply permanent color finishes to these gathered natural materials. To date, I have created 12 of these sculptural installations, which use native materials. My art invites gaze, reflection, and discussion. My art forms are suggestive, playful, and transformative, all while remaining anchored in the world. 

John DeFaro

SCULPTURE AND ASSEMBLAGE