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Aug 08, 2023

What's with the dragonfly sculpture now on display in Belmont?

A 13-foot dragonfly sculpture is hovering by a pond in the Lost Hollow section at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, the creation of multi-talented local artist, musician and chiropractor Dr. David

A 13-foot dragonfly sculpture is hovering by a pond in the Lost Hollow section at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, the creation of multi-talented local artist, musician and chiropractor Dr. David Demperio of Belmont Chiropractic Center.

Demperio, who is a member of the Belmont Rotary Club, announced the installation to fellow Rotarians at a recent meeting.

The work, which he calls simply "Dragonfly," is on loan for as long as the Botanical Garden wishes to display it, he said. Dragonflies are not pollinators, but they are great to have in a garden because they prey on pests that are threats to plants and also prey on mosquitoes.

While he comes from a large family of artists and enjoys pottery, jewelry making, silk dying, watercolors, song writing, playing music with his band and making sculptures for his own garden, this is Demperio's first major installation. He credits his wife, Lynette, also an award-winning artist, for her help on the dragonfly sculpture.

"The dragonfly is constructed from recycled metal parts," he said. "The wings are from an old-style satellite dish, the head is an old air tank, the torso is a motorcycle tank and the tail is made from springs and gas cylinders. The legs are fabricated from forged rebar welded to tappets from a motor. Some of it is welded and some of it is bolted together."

Demperio is working on several more sculptures, including large-scale insects, which he hopes also may find their way to the Botanical Garden. Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, at 6500 South New Hope Road, Belmont, features 380 acres of gardens and fountains plus a 13,500-square-foot visitor pavilion and a five-story orchid conservatory. For information on schedules, events and memberships, visit: www.dsbg.org.