Artifice

Growing up in Southern California, Casey Parlette developed a deep connection to wildlife while exploring the region’s hills and ocean. Inspired by these experiences, he began sculpting at a young age. After earning a degree in anthropology from UCLA, Casey worked as a commercial diver and later as a career ocean lifeguard in Laguna Beach. His adventures include operating underwater cameras for the television series Inside Sportfishing, traveling to remote regions of the world, and spending eight months in the Peruvian Amazon, where he discovered a previously unknown fish species now classified as Rivulus parlettei. A naturalist at heart, Casey draws on his lived experiences to inspire his sculptures. Casey works with wood, metal, and stone to capture the movement and feel of the natural world. He selects materials whose inherent patterns and textures echo his subject. curly redwood may suggest the stripes of a tiger shark, while a manzanita burl can reveal the form of an octopus. Through blacksmithing and m