Lush accumulations of clay rose petals morph into abstract and realistic buds, blossoms and full roses, blooming into free-standing sculptures, ceiling suspensions and wall-hung works. Lauren Naomi’s kaleidoscopic, painted petal formations range from minimalist to highly ornate.  A third-generation gardener, Lauren brings her floral love out of her garden and into her studio. Nestled inside an abandoned storefront in a struggling shopping mall on Staten Island, she transforms a fourth-generation family tradition of floral crafting into a practice uniquely her own.  Using only her hands, she sculpts thousands of clay petals out of a Japanese air-dry compound, arranging them in her own petal language on fragile and unexpected materials including packing paper, chicken wire, and used car tires.  Her compositions are her attempts to view human psychology in a tangible art form. She plans to explore modes of ‘contemplation’, creating floral abacuses, systems of calculation, cycles and measurements, next.