Simply stunning. They shine like jewels…This is Shayne Dark’s Reflections of Nature Series. Dark’s superb sculptural work is informed by nature. This series of wall sculptures—tondos in stainless steel, copper and bronze have detailed inlays that resemble natural organic patterns such as the inner ring of trees, and root structures. (The number of rings in a tree determines its age and what the climate was like during each year of the tree’s life.)

Each tondo has a unique pattern that Dark cuts into the steel. The entire surface is then sprayed with molten copper and bronze to create a shimmering inlay. The whole sculpture is then polished back to a mirror finish which reflects light and its surroundings.

“Dark seeks to reveal the inner beauty of the things around us with the aim of fostering a direct contemplation of the world, without the mediation of the artistic sphere.” Katrie Chagnon, Art Historian

He was the artist in residence at the Brooklyn botanic garden in 2016 following a successful residency at the Albright Knox and Buffalo botanical garden in 2015 and a feature article on his work in Sculpture magazine. At Art Basel in Toronto, Dark was named one of the top ten artists to watch. In 2017, Dark had a solo exhibition at New York’s Brooklyn Botanical Garden and the following year he was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 2022, Dark exhibited at the Cloud 9 Eco-Art Festival at No. 9 Gardens in the Rideau Lakes, Ontario. His work can be found in numerous private, corporate, and public collections.