If you think you've seen people in the water in the lagoon and the canal in Gulf Shores lately, it's because Steven Dark put them there.

Dark, a sculptor/potter who lives in Gulf Shores, has been putting clay busts into water on private property for 10 years, letting algae, barnacles and moss grow on them to add texture and interest. He removes them when he is satisfied with the look and sells them at galleries and art shows.

“It's a long process for sure, and it's risky to put them in the water,” Dark says. “I could just put them in a gallery and try to sell them, but when they go out in the water, they get a lot of stuff growing on them. They start turning black and get moss, weeds, barnacles—then, it's an interesting look, and they don't look like they did when they were fresh. It makes time part of the process.”

Although placing them in private waters is safer, Dark has recently taken it upon himself to share his art with the public by placing his sculptures in easy-to-see locations around the Island.

“I think there's a lot of room for public art here in Gulf Shores, and I'm just putting a little chip in it,” he says. “But part of the problem with ceramics is I can only do it so big. People working with steel could do something much bigger. I'm just entertaining myself and my friends. I hope it catches on and we start to see more of it.”

Belinda Ringpfeil, director of Ocean Camp and lover of all things marine, says she is thrilled with Dark's art and thinks there should be more public art on the Island.

“We don't really have city fountains or city parks where there is any artwork,” she says. “I think it's a nice idea to have artwork in our natural waters. I hope he'll put some more out there.”

Dark has tried public installments before, but his art was vandalized or destroyed. He is hoping people will be more considerate this time around.

“Trying to put them in a place where they won't be wrecked by some jerk is challenging,” he says.

Dark says he sometimes ponders whether his art is adding anything to the natural beauty of the water.

“Nature is so beautiful by itself, and I wonder sometimes if I'm doing nature a disservice by putting these out,” he says.

But Ringpfeil says not only are the structures fun to look at, but they're also enhancing the water ecologically.

“Clay is organic, and because of that, a lot of the ecosystem in the water is stimulated by the structure.” she says. “It's kind of like when they sunk the Lulu. In the same way, crabs will start hanging out on his art, and barnacles and algae will start growing on it. It's just a nice addition to the lagoon and the canal.”

Dark began sculpting right after high school when he moved to Gulf Shores and met potter Steve Burrow.

“I was waiting tables at night, and then I'd go out after work and party,” he says. “I'd wake up around noon with a hangover and then hang out in his shop for a few hours until I had to go back to work.”

Burrow convinced Dark to go to college, so Dark studied at the University of South Alabama and earned a bachelor's of fine arts in ceramics, becoming a first generation college student. He later received a master's of fine arts from a school in Pennsylvania.

To pay off his student loans, Dark sculpted during the day and waited tables at fine dining restaurants at night for seven years. He then got a job teaching art at Faulkner State Community College and is still an adjunct professor, teaching at night and working in his studio all day, doing what he loves.

People profile

NAME: Steven Dark

PROFESSION: Sculptor/potter, adjunct art professor at Faulkner State

FIND HIS ART: Public waters around Gulf Shores; there are currently a few busts in the water near the intersection of Windmill Ridge Drive and Fourth Street, and Dark is preparing four busts to be placed in the water behind the Flying Harpoon

WEBSITE: StevenDark.com