Through his botanical sculptures, Richard Herzog explores the lack of interaction between man and nature and man's disconnection from the environment, as well as the 'artificialization' of nature, natural spaces, and all things living. His sculptures talk about the organization and the chaos found within natural and man-made forms. Herzog studies the many separate parts that create the whole, then abstracts these elements-keeping true to their inherent qualities. By reversing the amount of similarity and variation, and using industrial materials and simplified forms, Herzog leads the viewer to a different understanding of Nature and the dichotomy that is natural. Herzog's natural forms, with their chaotic multi-layered visual effects, are intended to be a metaphor for the rapid pace and over-stimulation that dominates our world.

Richard Herzog is an assistant professor of sculpture at New College of Florida in Sarasota. Since earning his MFA from the University of Georgia, he has shown his works in a number of solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally.