When Peter Godwin first started selling concrete garden art more than 15 years ago, it wasn’t his own.
But as the Bothell man dealt increasingly with creations made by other artists, he started to wonder if he could do it better.
Curious, he took a class in mold making and has been ma
king his own art ever since. That includes crafting his own molds and sometimes even sculpting original masterpieces from clay to be cast — and recast — in concrete.
Today, Godwin, 49, has developed quite a following with his longtime hobby, including local gardening expert and TV personality Ciscoe Morris, who has purchased multiple works by Godwin, including a concrete pig’s head, a sunflower birdbath and a Buddha.
Local gardening fans will find Morris and Godwin in Snohomish County this weekend at Sorticulture, Everett’s 14th annual garden and arts festival, which opens its free, three-day run Friday.
Godwin, whose company is called Forest Green Enterprises, is particularly known for his green men, somber stone faces surrounded by or constructed entirely of foliage.
Green men, who sometimes have leaves, vines and other botanical elements coming out of their mouths, have appeared throughout history in multiple cultures and religions, both pagan and Christian.
In the garden, they add a quasi-Celtic or European touch, said Godwin, who also makes Celtic crosses, gargoyles, sun faces, wine goddesses, leaf imprints, frogs, birds and other animals.
He also sells a variety of rear ends, including an elegant rear view of headless human torso and the rump of a pig, which is far more popular, Godwin noted, than the pig head he also sells.
Northwest gardeners, Godwin said, want more than just flowers and leaves in their garden. They want art and, sometimes, comic relief in the form of whimsy.
Some of his clients delight in hiding his works as pleasant surprises to be discovered around corners or at the end of secluded paths.
He also has clients who hang his designs indoors to echo European-style motifs found in their gardens.
Godwin likes using stains, acid washes and other concrete coloring techniques to create dramatic faux patinas.
Many of his pieces, though pure white when freshly cast, appear old, weathered, worn, sometimes metallic, when Godwin is finished with them.
Thanks to such techniques, no two pieces are identical.
Godwin buys many molds online, but he also makes his own using original art pieces, including some from his artist friends.
His pieces are sealed with water-based or acrylic sealers to protect them from the weather.
Godwin, who works full-time as a project manager for AT&T in Redmond, lives on a quiet Bothell cul-de-sac with his wife, Kerry, and their three teenage sons. He makes his art in a large, bright, unfinished backyard studio.
“It’s fun. I enjoy the selling and meeting and talking to people,” he said. “It is a lot of work.”
Prices for his pieces start at $5 for small pieces and go up to $45 for medium-sized pieces. Birdbaths and other more complex works can cost more than $150.
Sorticulture, with its food, live music and festive atmosphere, is one of Godwin’s favorite events.
“It’s a great show,” he said. “It’s a great setting. They marry the plants and the art.”
Kerry Godwin said her husband, ever ambitious and energetic, needs a creative outlet.
“He’s like the Energizer bunny,” she said.
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037; sjackson@heraldnet.com.
Sorticulture
What: Everett’s free, three-day arts and garden festival, now in its 14th year, will feature more than 125 vendors, including specialty nurseries selling plants, plus purveyors of garden tools, garden art and other gardening-themed creations. Visitors will also find display gardens, a food fair and wine garden, live music and activities for kids. Gardening speakers, such as Ciscoe Morris and Steve Smith, will share nuggets of wisdom and inspiring ideas.
When: Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Legion Park, 145 Alverson Blvd., Everett.
Parking: On-site parking is limited. To avoid hassles, take a city-run shuttle bus for 75 cents, each way, from Everett Community College’s parking lot at N. Broadway and Tower Street. Shuttles will leave every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Information: Call 425-257-7107 or go to www.everettwa.org/arts.
Speakers and entertainment
Friday
• 10 a.m. to noon — Celtic indie music by A Well Known Stranger
• 12:30 to 2 p.m. — Laura Faley talks about urban chickens.
• 2 to 3 p.m. — Lowell Cordas, Lowell’s Tools, talks about tools.
• 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. — “Happy Hour with The Whistling Gardner,” Steve Smith, owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville
• 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — Orchestral folk by Hey Marseilles
Saturday
• 10:30 a.m. to noon — Laura Faley talks about urban chickens.
• 12:30 to 2 p.m. — Soulful guitarist Joachim Nordensson
• 2 to 3:30 p.m. — Ciscoe Morris talks about his favorite plants, followed by a question-and-answer session.
• 4 to 6 p.m. — Acoustic guitar and vocals by Nick Drummond, formerly of The Senate
Sunday
• 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Groovy blues, swingin’ country and folk with Ali Marcus
• 1 to 2:30 p.m. — Ciscoe Morris presents “New Ideas for an Ooh La La Garden,” followed by a question-and-answer session.
Forest Green Enterprises
Gardeners will find Peter Godwin and his business, Forest Green Enterprises, at Booth 1 at Sorticulture near the main festival entrance. Godwin also sells his work every weekend at the Redmond Saturday Market. Learn more at redmondsaturdaymarket.homestead.com or go to Godwin’s website, www.4estgreen.com or call 425-786-6355.
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