Artist
Thomas Scoon
American, based in New Hampshire, b. 1961
Thomas Scoon (born 1961, Kenosha, Wisconsin) is an American sculptor based in New Hampshire, known for anthropomorphic figures of granite and sequenced kiln-cast glass.
Biography
Thomas Scoon
Thomas Scoon (born 1961, Kenosha, Wisconsin) is an American sculptor based in New Hampshire, known for anthropomorphic figures of granite and sequenced kiln-cast glass. Inspired by the monolithic sculptures of Easter Island, his figures alternate transparency and opacity so that they are at once a contained unit and part of their environment, allowing light to pass through them. He has worked as an independent studio artist since 1991, and his sculptures range from small-scale figures to recent life-size works.
Scoon begins by selecting stones in natural settings, places he returns to over a period of years to watch his materials evolve, gathering rocks from quarry rubble and from New Hampshire neighbors who let him choose stone from their land. He tries to take both the head and the torso stone from the same site for consistency of color and texture, and does very little to alter them, seeking instead to emphasize qualities already present. Using wax molds, he casts glass to fit the stones; as he puts it, the glass shapes the rest of the figure in a very organic sense, much like ice, and its translucent quality is activated best by natural sunlight, which is how the figures are given their spirit or soul. He sees the union of the fire of kiln-casting with the manipulation of stone as a metaphor for the duality of soul and body.
By pairing and grouping his figures, often in natural environments, Scoon explores familial, genealogical and generational relationships, which he hopes speak to his audience as both personal narrative and universal construct. His work is collected around the world and is held in the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark, the permanent collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Robinson Collection and the Chordorkoff Collection.
In the artist’s words
Statement
In my work, I create figures from sequences of stone and glass. The figures rise up from the external landscape where I live, a place filled with remnants of stonewalls and glacial erratic. I gather stones from quarry rubble and from New Hampshire neighbors who allow me to choose stone from their land. The glass portions of the sculpture are combined with these found stones, suggesting human figures, I try to choose rocks that evoke the feeling and gesture of human forms, specifically torsos and heads. I will look for a flat rock with a curved edge and tapering form to suggest torsos or the triangulation of stone with a cleft that may hint of a head. I do very little to alter these stones in the process of making sculptures, perhaps chiseling or cutting a bit, instead I seek to emphasize qualities already naturally present. The layering of kiln-cast glass with the stone allows light to pass through the figures and what I hope, embodies the spiritual and physical essence of human nature into the sculpture. By marrying fire and materials of earth with a modern process of casting glass, there is a fusion of composition and chance. Given the range of scale and opportunity to group figures together, there are layers of interpersonal drama, gender, and generational concerns. The combination of materials expresses both the fragility and enduring qualities of humanity. I believe the figures are universal in that they speak directly to what is elemental rather than superficial about us and our relationships to others. These qualities of spirit are nearly indefinable, of what we share in our immediate lives as well as through a common human history but it is what I want to capture in some small measure.
Available through the gallery
Works by Thomas Scoon
1 work
For The Record
Curriculum vitae
Public Collections
4
- Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MichiganGlasmuseet Ebeltoft, Ebeltoft, DenmarkRobinson CollectionChordorkoff Collection
Further Notes
2
- Independent studio artist since 1991, working from small-scale figures to recent life-size sculpturesLives and works in New Hampshire, where he gathers stone from quarry rubble and from neighbors' land