Pearl's fascination with sculpting trees and bushes began with a simple challenge--to win the community’s "yard of the month" award. The topiary bug bit and Pearl began transforming the landscape around his house into a gallery of abstract forms, shaping native and exotic plants with garden shears and a hedge trimmer. Pearl's topiary work is not about instant gratification, but is the result of years of cultivation and pruning. Though topiary art has been around for thousands of years, Pearl's work often fits into categories of modern art, including ephemeral and nature based work.
To learn more about Pearl's art, click on the videos below.
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After living in New York and Atlanta, Pearl followed his job with a packaging company to rural Bishopville, South Carolina. Though Pearl had no family in the area, he literally "put roots" down after...
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Pearl Fryar uses The Gates as an example of artwork that celebrates the experience and moment of the creative act. The viewer's opportunity to interact with and be inspired by the art work justifies...
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Most common topiary plants are evergreen and have small, dense leaves and branches; such as boxwood, yew and holly bushes. But Pearl says, "Anything that can be pruned can be shaped," which explains...