Assemblage Alligator Art

For the past several years, some of Andy's most popular pieces are his assemblage alligator art. He uses recycled and re-purposed materials to create mixed media assemblage art.

Let me introduce you to Herbie, Andy's recently completed piece. Herbie is 102 inches wide and 30 inches tall, making him almost the size of a real adult alligator. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, female alligators rarely exceed 9 feet in length, but males can grow much larger. The Florida state record for length is a 14 foot 3-1/2 inch male from Lake Washington in Brevard County. The Florida record for weight is a 1,043 pound (13 feet 10-1/2 inches long) male from Orange Lake in Alachua County. The alligator became the official state reptile of Florida in 1987, when Andy was 10 years old. According to Visit Florida, the #1 question tourists ask is where they should stay. The #2 question is where they can see an alligator.

American alligators are found in the southeast United States: all of Florida and Louisiana, the southern parts of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, coastal South and North Carolina, Eastern Texas, the southeast corner of Oklahoma, and the southern tip of Arkansas. They live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as in brackish environments. They may live to about 50 years in the wild.

Alligators are opportunistic feeders. Their diets include prey species that are abundant and easily accessible. Juvenile alligators eat primarily insects, amphibians, small fish, and other invertebrates. Adult alligators eat rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds. After it is four feet long, an alligator is safe from predators except humans and occasionally other alligators. That’s right, alligators display cannibalistic behavior.

This piece of assemblage alligator art is available for $1800. Materials used include reclaimed wood, a pot lid, piano keys, house keys, miscellaneous hardware, and found objects. To purchase Herbie, call or text Andy at (850) 502-0072.