The Flaming Carousel is intended to be a platform for artists to express their vision of what a carousel creature can be. There are currently artists from Portland, Atlanta, San Francisco, and San Jose represented. The Flaming Carousel can support 16 creatures and sleds, but in the future, it will expand to hold 24. Which creatures are on the carousel can vary by event.
Why Bestiary?
A bestiary is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the ancient world, bestiaries were popularized in the Middle Ages as illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a moral lesson.
The oldest known bestiary, The Physiologus, was compiled by an unknown author in Alexandria during the second century. What stories and lessons would our carousel’s beasts tell!
Julia Alora
Julia Alora (she/they) is a Portland-based sculptoress creating biologically influenced sculptures out of recycled materials.
Creatures: Jackalope (Spring-Heel Jack), Mantis Shrimp (Scampi)
Richard Cawley
A Portland native, Richard Cawley has been designing and creating sculptural objects for over two decades. Since the beginning of his artistic career, he has been drawn to the challenge and delight of transforming the ordinary and mundane post-consumer waste of our culture into thought provoking objects of beauty and functional works of art.
Creatures (Thrones): The Snail (Shelly Junior), Portal Throne (Wheelchair accessible)
Michael Christian
“I’m inspired by the genius of nature and build things that make me smile. I attempt to use the simplest language and smallest words possible. Life is big and complex enough as it is. I make things and do not spend much time talking about or explaining them.”
Creatures: Untitled 1, Untitled 2
Josh Daily
Josh Daily is a Portland, Oregon-based metal and found material sculpture artist. He creates animals, human figures, anatomical body parts, and much more from recycled and repurposed materials
Creatures: The Fish (Shelly), Ostrich (Stretch)
Julia Hill
I love experimenting and learning new things, which means I am a sculptor that is drawn to a wide variety of methods and processes. I like to use contrasting materials and textures in my work. I think about negative spaces, light, and shadows. I am inspired by changes in nature, both slow and cataclysmic, microscopic and cosmic. I like to create forms that hint to shifting or invisible forces, such as gravity, tides, and wind. I am very drawn to welding, largely because it is so elemental. I utilize found objects and salvaged materials when possible, and often, the objects I gather will inspire and guide me to the final work.
Creature: Snake (Patches The Snake)
Glenn Tulloch
Former craftsman/shop supervisor at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. Studied Art at California State University, Chico
Creature: Horse
