The newest installation in A Sculpture Trail at Laurelwood Arboretum is “Egrets,” a stainless steel rendition of birds at rest and in motion created by Babette Bloch.  It can be seen at site #1 in the grassy knoll behind Laurel Pond.  TULIPULA, also by Bloch, is at Sculpture Trail site #5. Laurelwood Arboretum is located at 725 Pines Lake Drive West in Wayne, New Jersey.

“’Egrets’ was created as part of my Reflecting Nature Series, in celebration of the joyous lyricism of birds at rest and in movement,” Bloch said.  “I used laser-cutting technology and metal fabrication machinery, along with a hand-held grinder that I wield like a paintbrush to enhance form and the illusion of mass.  ‘Egrets’ actively interacts with the landscape; the surface of the textured metal reflects the surrounding colors, changing with the play of daylight and dance of the clouds.”

Bloch is a pioneer in the use of laser-cut and water-jet stainless steel to create evocative works of art, ranging in scale from tabletop to monumental.  Her sculptures explore form and the interplay between object and light, reflect their environments, and expand the ways in which stainless steel is used in contemporary art.  Her floral and wildlife sculptures are on view in museums and private collections in the United States and Europe.

Bloch received both classical and modern training at the University of California and studied with legendary artists Wayne Thiebaud, Robert Arneson, and Manuel Neri. She divides her creative time between site-specific one-of-a-kind public artworks and limited-edition pieces, both wall-hung and in-the-round.  Her work is represented at galleries and permanent museum collections in the United States and Europe.

A Sculpture Trail, a multiyear project that showcases 15 unique works of art, is sponsored by Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum.  A Sculpture Trail is curated by Scott A. Broadfoot of the Broadfoot & Broadfoot gallery in Boonton, New Jersey.  All sculptures in A Sculpture Trail are available for purchase, with a percentage of the proceeds donated to the Friends organization to be applied towards capital improvements.  To follow the progress of A Sculpture Trail installations on Instagram go to https://www.instagram.com/laurelwoodsculpturetrl/