Tom Nussbaum

These photos are of the sculpture that I’m working on now. It’s made of welded steel, with added epoxy shapes. It has been covered with a textured primer, and I’m in the final stages of painting it. It’s not quite finished, and I photographed it right where I’m currently working on it in my studio.  It is actually all made from materials I already had in my studio. The sculpture is 14 x 25 x 11”.  

The shapes I’ve used in this sculpture are inspired by forms that are both natural and manmade. I observe patterns in science and nature, as well as textiles, quilts, architecture, art, and design.  Much of my recent work can be seen as a metaphor for how all of these things are connected, and how we are all connected to each other. 

In this piece there are forms that are evocative of molecular structure, communication networks, atomic age architecture,  geodesic domes designed by Buckminster Fuller, and quilt patterns.  The forms flow together in a way that also expresses my interest in musical improvisation.   Additionally, the sun-like forms are visually connected to both the corona virus, and sunflowers.  For some reason that I have yet to fully understand, I seem to be trying to turn the virus into something positive.  

 ABOUT THE ARTIST

Tom Nussbaum is known for a variety of work including public artworks, sculpture, drawings, paper cuts, prints, children’s books, animations, and functional design objects.

Tom has been making art continuously for over forty years. His sculpture and works on paper have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States, and internationally. He has completed over forty site- specific commissions located in a variety of public settings including public plazas, train stations, schools, hospitals, libraries, environmental centers, and playgrounds.