My sculpture ‘Metamorphosis’ is inspired by the renaissance illustrator and entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian who is credited with some of the first depictions of the live stages of butterflies and moths. She is also the first person to link different lepidoptera species to specific food plants. Merian was also a very successful business women who published her own works, and was daring enough to travel on a trade ship to the Dutch colony of Surinam to document the flora and fauna of unknown exotic lands. There she befriended native people who taught her about the local plants and their medicinal uses. She criticized the Dutch colonists for treating the native people badly. Her work was published in German and Dutch.

In the process of Metamorphosis, a wingless, heavy-built herbivore (the caterpillar) changes into a butterfly: lightly built, beautiful, and able to fly. Inside the chrysalis, much of the caterpillars tissues are dissolved, because muscles for creeping and a digestive tract for eating foliage are no longer needed. Instead, the butterfly needs muscles for flight and a proboscis to drink nectar. So the caterpillar changes inside and out. Change requires courage to try something new, and trust that it will be achieved. Without change there is no progress, and the butterfly would never fly!

The caterpillar is part of the Metamorphosis sculpture by Thomas Berger, installed at the Hearth Food Marked in downtown Portsmouth /NH.

The chrysalis sculpture is a symbol of change and transformation. It is part of the monumental sculpture Metamorphosis by Thomas Berger, installed in the pedestrian zone at the Hearth Food Market in downtown Portsmouth /NH.

The sculptor Thomas Berger is working on the installation of the monumental sculpture Metamorphosis, which consists of a caterpillar, a chrysalis, and a butterfly resting on a stone flower. The writing on the underside of the butt5erfly wings reads Dare To Change

Detail of Metamorphosis sculpture by Thomas Berger showing an egg and the signature of Scientific Illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian on the underside of a leaf of a stone flower, which serves as the base of a butterfly sculpture

The monumental sculpture Metamorphosis by Kittery /Maine artist Thomas Berger reveals the writing Dare To Change on the underside of the butterfly wings.

When working on this piece, I became aware how important color can be in sculpture. What is a puffin without color? I carefully applied the bright patinas to bring out the bright ‘puffin colors’, but always conscious to allow the precious bronze to shine through.

The original plastiline model is carefully measured and proportioned to create a life-size representation.

The bronze is cast into the basin from which it runs through the sprue pipes into the body below.

The finished cast (front) is ready to be patinated. The plastiline model in the back is slightly damaged from the mold making process.

This complex sculpture can be found in the foyer of the new Brick Market building in Portsmouth, NH. (see further images under Stars and Stripers in the Portfolio page)

My first set of bronze whales consists of a Finn Whale (21” long), Humpback Whale 16-1/2”), Mama Right Whale (18”), Juvenile Right Whale (12-1/2”) and a Minke Whale (9”). They were cast to my models at the Green Foundry in Eliot /Maine in 2023. I am working on other whale species which can be expected to be available in the winter /spring of 2024. These first 5 whales are at this time available for sale at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye /NH (ending Sept. 4th 2023).

a bronze fin whale sculpture with natural coloration and naturalistic proportions in the style of a three-dimensional scientific illustration, mounted on a natural rock

The Atlantic Right whales, a critically endangered species, are honored in the bronze sculptures by Maine artist Thomas Berger

This sculpture was created in cooperation with sculptor David Adilman from Andover /MA, and was purchased for installation at the Epsom Library in Epsom /NH. A bronze plaque to honour a special member of the library was added.

Our sculpture Kingdoms in Peace was used for the cover photo of the Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit in S. Hamilton /MA. My friend David Adilman, sculptor from Andover /MA, and I, created this piece in cooperation. Thank you Dave for the good time we had! The exhibit ends November 27th, 2022

We each worked on one stone and then constructed a bridge to connect the two castles

View of the sculpture near the entrance to Pingree School in south Hamilton.