Nature Science

GORGEOUS FINE PORCELAIN & CLAY CRAFT BOTANICALS BY OWEN MANN

Courtesy of Owen Mann. “Shot of my latest project.” Handmade ceramic succulents. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.

OWEN MANN

Porcelain and clay become botanical art in the mind and hands of fine art crafter Owen Mann’s stunning collection of “Floramics,” super-sized replicas of flowers and succulents.

Mann’s crafts peonies, dahlias, roses, tulips, magnolias, lotus flowers, chrysanthemums and other blossoms, as well as dozens of exotic succulent species.

Each work is made up of dozens, sometimes even hundreds of petals and/or leaves -- each petal and leaf is individually formed, intricately folded, and meticulously attached. Owen aims to make them look somewhat realistic, yet glorifies them by accentuating their color and texture. Their giant size make them feel surreal.

Often glazed in bright jewel tones, such as ruby, amethyst, turquoise, teal, and jade, Mann’s pieces glisten as if they are dew-drenched.

Mann leaves some pieces unglazed to preserve the look of dried clay. He uses a gradient technique on some works, with the color changing along the lengths of the petals and leaves.

Mann first developed his love for ceramic craft at age 10, when he made a clay rose for his mother. It occurred to him then that one day he could construct ceramic florals for a living and he taught himself the craft. However, it wasn’t until he was in his mid-twenties that he threw himself into crafting full-time.

Mann is fascinated by the spiraling geometric patterns and structural repetition of many flowers and plants. While he has ventured into sculpting fauna, he always returns to his botanical niche. He has produced over 1000 flowers and succulents just in the past 4 years. Each flower is unique.

When the weather at his Ithaca, NY studio permits, Mann’s dries his works in the sun (otherwise, he dries them indoors). Once dry, Mann loads the pieces into a Skutt kiln for the firing process. Lifting each flower and succulent in and out of the kiln is not always a simple task given the size of Mann’s works, which can run up to 21” in diameter.

These flowers and succulents can be laid flat on a table, hung as decorative wall pieces, or “planted” on top of a garden pot for a faux-houseplant look.

Mann’s collection is displayed on Instagram (with the hashtag #floramics), where Mann posts pictures of his flowers and succulents in various stages of their creation. He also sells his crafts on Etsy.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “Shot of my latest project.” Handmade ceramic succulents. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. Assortment of glazed handmade ceramic flowers. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. Untitled. Handmade ceramic fine craft succulent. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “August Chrysanthemum.” Handmade ceramic fine craft succulent. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “Turquoise Lizzy.”. Handmade ceramic fine craft flowers. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “Growing out of my hands!” Unglazed handmade ceramic fine craft succulents. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “Twilight Cacti.” Handmade ceramic fine craft succulent. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “Umbra Flower.” Handmade ceramic fine craft flower. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “Stella Flora.” Handmade ceramic fine craft flower. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. Untitled. Handmade ceramic fine craft succulent. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. Untitled. Handmade ceramic fine craft succulent. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. Untitled. Handmade ceramic fine craft flower. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “Little flower.” Handmade ceramic fine craft flower. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.
Image: by BN App - Download now!
Image: Courtesy of Owen Mann. “New flower.” Handmade ceramic fine craft flower. Designed and created, by Owen Mann.