Artist Spotlight: Trailer McQuilkin
Summer 2025
California Poppy, 2024, Oil and copper, 23 ¼ x 16 ½ x 16 ½ inches
We are delighted to present three exceptional sculptures by Trailer McQuilkin, now on view and available at Adelson Galleries Palm Beach. Known for his lifelike botanical sculptures, McQuilkin’s work is a rare union of scientific observation and poetic craftsmanship. Each piece captures the fragility and resilience of endangered flora in striking detail.
Over the past 55 years, Trailer McQuilkin, a largely self-taught artist working from his studio in Mississippi, has mastered the art of imitation. Handcrafting incredibly detailed microhabitats of endangered plants and wildflowers, McQuilkin devotes 2–6 months to each sculpture. His materials include sheet copper, copper wire, metal primer, and oil paints, which are transformed through meticulous study and technique.
Upon close inspection, his work reveals its brilliance: fallen petals with natural discoloration, leaves marked by insect bites, and even the tiny fauna found near these plants in nature. Each sculpture becomes a time capsule, preserving vulnerable plant species and inviting us to appreciate their unique beauty.
Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae), 2024, Oil and copper, 24 x 13 ½ x 13 ½ inches
One of a Kind, 2024, Oil and copper, 34 x 17 ½ x 17 ½ inches
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