Promethius (bronze)
Sculptor John Jayson Sonnier has been a garden designer for more than twenty-five years and has created many private and public gardens. He draws inspiration for his sculpture from the plants with which he works.
Taught by Master Sculptor Constantine Seferlis, Mr. Sonnier continues to carry on the tradition of stone carving. "I feel it is my responsibility to carry on the legacy of all the great sculptors that have passed on. Constantine entrusted me to not only learn from him but to also teach others. In doing so I honor the wonderful lessons of sculpture he gave me." Mr. Sonnier teaches sculpture at the Corcoran School of Art and Design; he previoulsy taught sculpture at the Northern Virginia Community College and garden design at the George Washington University.
Mr. Sonnier has been commissioned to create works for Holy Cross Hospital and Montgomery County, Maryland. His work has been displayed at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the American Film Institute, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and at Sculpture in the Park (2002) in Loveland, Colorado, the largest juried outdoor sculpture competition in the United States, as well as other public and private collections.
Among his other accomplishments, Mr. Sonnier's piece Just Jack in the Pulpit was chosen by jury to be exhibited at the National Sculpture Society's 70th Annual Exhibit in 2003, held at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina and at the NSS gallery in New York City. Mr. Sonnier recently created a bronze edition of Just Jack in the Pulpit; number one of the edition was purchased by Cyrus Katzen for his collection at the new Katzen Center of Art at the American University.