The history of Home & Garden Ornament begins with its founder, Richard Vearl Abbott. Born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1951, Richard from his early youth had shown an avid interest in and aptitude for art. After a stint in the Army in the early 70’s, these interests and gifts were shaped into knowledge as he pursued an education at the Portland School of Art (Portland, Maine). He majored in painting, while also exploring other fields of interest in sculpture, printmaking and art history. After receiving his BFA with honors from Portland, he continued his training at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), receiving an MFA in painting. After graduating, he painted, taught, performed a variety of odd jobs, married and had a family.

It was while working on a commission for designing and sculpting a decorative frieze for Philadelphia architect Robert Venturi that the seeds for Home & Garden Ornament were sown. As he researched ideas for the above, Richard experienced a growing fascination with ancient, medieval and Renaissance cultures’ concepts of every day beauty in their utensils, functional objects and decorations. To participate in the ancient traditions of artisan-craftsmen seemed a wonderful pursuit. Thoughts of making high quality,decorative sculpture slowly took shape. As he worked out the technical possibilities of rubber mold making, casting in cement, use of masonry dyes, he realized that his dreams had the potential to become reality.

From a handful of designs sold by a few enthusiastic (and astute!) local Maine and New England retailers, Home & Garden Ornament grew! Adding many new pieces (50+ at the present time), and expanding its studio space in order to handle the increasing demand, HGO now sells its work all over the country as well as occasional international sales.

Home & Garden Ornament specializes in uniquely decorative/architectural sculpture. All of the pieces are original designs, that is to say, they are NOT impressions or casts of natural artifacts or living creatures, nor are they copies of other persons’ work. Richard Abbott looks for inspiration from various aspects of nature, as well as drawing upon the rich resources of past art history. He prefers to use “the real thing” for subject matter, but will also make use of photographs, paintings, and drawings when necessary.

The design process begins with sculpting in clay. At this point some sculptures come together in an afternoon, while others can take weeks or longer to be “born!” Next the design is cast in plaster, where it can be further fine-tuned. A rubber mold is then made of the finished plaster, wherein the cement mixture (Type 1 White Portland cement with sand aggregate + masonry dye) is poured and left to cure for a period of days.

Home & Garden Ornament is especially known for its warm, earth-toned colors with their rich, cast-in, overlying patinas. The four possible base colors are Terra Cotta, Verdigris, Sand and Yellow Ocher. All pieces are color fast and weather proof. However, they must be handled with care befitting the treasures they are, as they can and most likely will chip if dropped, banged around or otherwise manhandled.

All plaques have a galvanized wire cast into the back for easy hanging on any surface, indoors or out. Work can also be treated as a tile and set in to a wall as a back splash or as a focal accent.

A total of 50+ designs are available in the regular line, and new designs are always in process. One of a kind commissions are also welcome.

We think you will discover that Home & Garden Ornament sculptures are visually pleasing, and in a tactile way, alluring---you can’t help but reach out to touch and take in the leaves of that artichoke, or run your finger down the smooth root of the carrot or the bumpy ridges of the turtle’s carapace. The pieces are beautiful and of enduring value and excellence, not to be found elsewhere. We hope you enjoy them!