PETAL PUSHER

In the subtropical climate of New Orleans, flowers don't just grow, they practically explode, cascading over French Quarter balconies and scrambling up Garden District fences.  That lush scenerey inspires local ceramist Bradley Sabin, who conjures blossoms of his own sweeping wall installations. "I'm constantly surprised by what I see in nature," he says.  Working in his home studio, Sabin individually sculpts and glazes each of the clay blooms - as many as 1,400 for a single project - that make up his teeming displays.  But the fun really begins when he arrives at a client's home and maps out the pattern in which the blossoms (each one screwed separately into the wall) will be arranged.  "Placing the flowers almost feels like I'm drawing," says the artist, whose work has caught the eye of decorators and collectors alike.  On October 8 his latest botanical beauties go on view in New York City, at the Voltz Clarke gallery's new Upper East Side location (voltzclarke.com), promising the space a fabulously fresh start. - Jacqueline Terrebone