Meet the Artist

After training and working for years as a dental technician, Nic Bladen apprenticed as a foundry man, specialising in casting large-scale bronze sculptures. His experience in these seemingly disparate fields led him to pioneer organic micro-casting techniques. In his workshop in Kommetjie, Bladen creates sculptures and jewellery using molds of some of the world’s most extraordinary flora, particularly fynbos.

His eponymous range, Nic Bladen Botanicals, features handmade silver and bronze jewelry cast from fynbos. He creates molds from actual leaves, flowers, twigs, and seaweed, which are then baked in a kiln at high temperatures. Molten metal is poured into the negative spaces left by the plants, resulting in unique castings, as each leaf and plant is individually cast. Bladen views his jewellery as a perfect complement to his full-scale plant sculptures, which are represented by the Everard Read Gallery and have been exhibited in London, New York, Paris, as well as locally.

While his work bridges art, science and craft, Bladen’s primary motivation is sincere documentation. His aim is to preserve these beautiful natural forms before they are lost due to climate change and urbanisation.

nicbladenbotanicals.com | @nicbladen