I’ve found myself in downtown Fayetteville more often than I’d like lately—running back and forth between the police department, the magistrate’s office, and an attorney or two. Nothing I care to get into right now, but let’s just say it’s been a season.
The upside? Fayetteville is a lot prettier than folks give it credit for.
On my last trip, I gave myself a few extra minutes to make a small detour and track down my favorite of the Ville’s art installations. It’s tucked into a corner of downtown—across from the county courthouse, beside a barber shop and a bail bonds office—and rising right out of the sidewalk is a towering Venus flytrap made of steel and glass.
It’s called Natural Embrace, and it’s striking. The whole thing feels like it just might move if you blink too slow—its bold steel stems reaching up, fused-glass traps gleaming in the sun.
At first glance, it might seem like a strange spot to celebrate one of the world’s rarest plants. But Fayetteville actually sits well within the Venus flytrap’s native range. These plants grow wild not far from here, in the longleaf pine forests and boggy stretches near the coast.
And while the city doesn’t always get its due, Fayetteville has a strong arts community. It’s scrappy and sincere, and it shows up to support creative work. Natural Embrace is just one example of that spirit in action.
The sculpture was created by Paul Hill, a North Carolina transplant, born in Tyler, Texas, and raised in Ohio, where he finished high school. After serving in the military during the Vietnam War, he studied Fine Art and Design at Kent State University. Hill worked in advertising, climbing the ranks to become an art director for major clients like Firestone and Alcoa. But corporate life couldn’t hold him forever.
By the early 1990s, Hill had traded boardrooms for a welding torch. Since then, he’s built a career in sculpture—working mostly with steel and mixed media, and creating public art from North Carolina all the way to Detroit. His work can be found in places like North Carolina Veteran’s Park and the Cary Visual Art Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition.
Even though he switched mediums, Hill’s artistic spark traces back to his childhood. He spent time in his grandfather’s photography studio as a kid, watching images develop and light take shape. He still calls it “painting with light,” and that sense of precision and wonder is something you can see in his work today.
One of his more playful pieces, For No Apparent Reason, was inspired by Moroccan goats climbing trees. It’s delightfully weird—the kind of thing that makes you pause and smile. That’s intentional. Hill likes making art that invites curiosity and throws expectations off balance, all while keeping craftsmanship front and center.
“I work from a direct-metal approach,” he once said. “Each piece is built slowly, part by part. The Industrial Age and Art Deco period have always shaped my aesthetic. I try to reflect a bit of that feel in everything I make.”
His process is both painstaking and intuitive. He starts by sketching chalk outlines directly on his work table, using silhouette and proportion to map out the mood. Then he welds the steel frame and hand-hammers each piece of sheet metal into place. It’s physical work—loud, hot, and dusty—but it’s also storytelling, just in three dimensions.
Natural Embrace is one of Hill’s personal favorites, and when you see it up close, you get why. His version of the Venus flytrap captures both the elegance and the eerie stillness of the real thing. There’s a tension to it—beauty edged with danger—that mirrors the plant itself. And maybe that’s part of what makes it feel so alive.
So next time you’re in Fayetteville, take a stroll down Person Street and hang a left at Ottis F. Jones Parkway. You’ll find Natural Embrace standing tall right there on the sidewalk—offering up a little moment of wonder in the middle of real life.
It’s a reminder that beauty often shows up when you least expect it. You just have to be willing to look.
