British artist Gary Hume is known for his cheerful, candy-colored paintings made with household paint, and more recently, oversized sculptures that recall the flora and fauna around us. In each distinct body of work, Hume abstracts the forms of recognizable objects, creating elegant symbols of his world.

The scale of Hume’s Bud (bronze) is playful, standing as tall as any adult. The plant is both wondrous, the miracle of life that returns after a long Wisconsin winter, and monstrous, in its size. The piece comes off its pedestal and roots directly to the ground, its natural material appearing unnatural in the landscape.