Artwork copyright Steve Gardner. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Tasty Berry, 1996

Steve Gardner
(American, born 1968)

Location: Edison Elementary School, Bow

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Tasty Berry is a pastel drawing by artist Steve Gardner. The imagery represents “the sweetness of life.” It has an ambiguous tone, with a storming sky and wall of thorns in the background. The artist notes, “Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, blackberries have become a personal symbol of duality for me… As a kid I spent many hours locked in mortal combat with the fiendish brambles, attempting to eradicate them from our family garden in the Willamette Valley… But in August, when they burst with sweet black berries, it seems like a miracle that such abundance of fruit could occur on its own accord, without cultivation or fertilizers.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Burlington-Edison School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Seattle-based artist Steve Gardner creates relief and free-standing sculptures out of architectural terra cotta clay and other materials. His artworks often focus on the human figure, surface pattern, and a sense of story.
Gardner received his Bachelor of Arts degree in art and biology from St. Olaf College in Minnesota and his Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from Central Washington University in Ellensburg.