If you’ve already visited Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens this season, you’ve seen Jay JBONE Sawyer’s metal spheres, “Spiritual Influence” out and around the Visitor’s Center. This is the first time the series of 17 has been displayed anywhere but the artist’s studio in Warren. 

“I’m thrilled to have 'Spiritual Influence' displayed outside of Studio JBONE,” he said recently. "Some of my paintings are also on display in the Cafe there. It is very rewarding for me to have been contacted by staff at the CMBG with their interest in my work being a part of this popular event.”

Katie Hey, director of marketing at CMBG, said, "To add even more magic to Gardens Aglow we've collaborated with Jay Sawyer to include his metal sculptures to our displays.”

How did it all come about? Gardens Aglow Program Manager Brent McHale drove by the Warren studio many times, admiring the orbs from the road. In July, McHale went to one of Sawyer’s open studio days at which he “fell in love with all his beautiful works of art displayed throughout his property” and talked about a possible collaboration between Sawyer and CMBG. After a few weeks, Sawyer went to the Gardens, a place he hadn’t been for years – and he was blown away. 

McHale, Sawyer and Gardens art coordinator Caroline Davis met to explore the possibility of having an art display in our Visitor Center lobby. “The more we talked, the more excited we all got about the project,” recalled McHale. “Jay's passion and creativity were infectious.”

Sculpture materials are salvaged metals. Sawyer ran his own welding/consulting company and many of his projects were repairs, modifications and upgrades of all types of machinery and equipment; structural welding, marine repairs, bridge work, farm equipment, over the road machinery, signage, etc.  

“Often this left me with the duty of removing the discarded materials. I began developing an eye and an appreciation for more and more of this detritus and resolving ways of putting the material to use,” he said. “Over time the end result was in more of an artistic manner.” 

In 2004, Sawyer met and became friends with David McLaughlin, whom he refers to as the most significant of three mentors. This group of artist mentors gave Sawyer the early confidence he needed to eventually be comfortable making the move from full-time businessman to full-time artist.

“They said I had this gift and incredible raw talent and eye to go with it,” recalled Sawyer. “And, if I worked very hard I could be one hell of a sculptor. One of them suggested I go to an art gallery to see what spoke to me.”

In a Rockland gallery, he came upon a stainless steel half hemisphere. “It had a red sticker on the wall next to it – it had sold … for $1,600. It just screamed at me,” said Sawyer. “Back in the day I made what I called ‘orbs.’ I said to myself, ‘I’m gonna do that.”

He was two years working on the spheres while he was still welding. But it was on his mind a lot and eventually it paid off: he got his own process to create a sphere. “I knew going in, I didn't have to rely on getting a little bit lucky. David didn't know how I made a sphere, and I didn't know how he made a sphere. He wrote to me on the day he died. He wanted me to have his remaining collection to carry on the topic of spheres in his absence. And so he bequeathed them to me.”

McLaughlin also told him about some metal rings he’d salvaged from Brunswick Naval Academy. He wanted Sawyer to have them, too. Ironically, when he received the letter, Sawyer had been working on his own bow tie and horseshoe design spheres. Later, Sawyer began making spheres with the same raw material as McLaughlin had.

In 2005, he began efforts to create something artistic. Two years later, he had his first public exhibition of artwork in a solo show at the Cushing Historical Society Arts In the Barn series. He can still vividly recall transporting 34 sculptures, with a combined weight of nearly six tons, to Cushing for the weekend show.

“When it was over a total of 16 pieces had been sold,” Sawyer said. “Wow! I spent Monday and Tuesday transporting sculpture back home, making deliveries and even installations.”

Sawyer’s first installation was in his hometown, Warren, entitled “Sunrise at Woolen Hill Park. In 2014, “A Spirit Of Its Own” (part of the limited Shear Ring Series) was installed at Portland International Jetport. The rings used in this sculpture were given to him by McLaughlin.

Another posthumous collaboration between Sawyer and his friend and mentor can be seen at CMBG. Sawyer had four of McLaughlin’s sculptures at his studio – all in one sculpture.

“I chose to use that one sphere to create a late collaboration. I wanted to give three of the spheres away to some of David's closest friends. One of them said she would take one only if I let her display it in my gardens. It has been on a bench in my garden since that day – and that is one very likely hanging from the overhead at the Visitor Center. And that is one David created himself. So it's kind of cool to think 14 years after his death, that we're showing together.”

Of the 17 spheres at CMBG for Gardens Aglow, only a few are for sale; the rest, like the sphere by David McLaughlin, are from Sawyer’s personal collection.

Gardens Aglow will burn brightly through Dec. 31. For more information, and for tickets, visit www.mainegardens.org. For more about the sculptor and artist, visit www.studiojbone.com