a contemplative environment….
These days, sculptor Thomas Scoon feels especially grateful for the amazing and protected property he purchased in 1996 in southeastern New Hampshire. Here, most everything required for his creative pursuits lies right outside his doorstep—granite from nearby quarries, massive studio space for working with stone and metal, five large-scale glass casting kilns he built, a 100-pound bronze casting furnace, access to all tools of his trade, and a contemplative and safe environment to work. He continues to do what he has done for the past 25 years, spending most of his waking hours creating sculpture.
There is something innately comforting about Scoon’s combination of stone (representing the fundamental grounding of the earth) and the human figure (representing the archetypal expression of humanity). Figures often set in dialogue with each other allow us to ponder the very nature of our relationships and interpersonal communications. Each piece by Scoon is unique because every stone has its own characteristics and gestures, and the artist prefers to keep the stone’s natural and organic form instead of manipulating it with a heavy hand. Stylistically the integration of glass in the sculptures provides a contemporary complement to the ancient stone. Like the illumination of the soul, light passes through the glass to express a sense of the spiritual.
The concept for the bronze Entwine pieces came when Scoon was doing black and white photography of the winter night sky—taking long exposures of the stars and moon through the trees. Metaphorically, the works speak about the lineage of humanity and the generations that precede us, as well as the idea that we must nourish the continued growth of human life.
Thanks to the videos from the artist, we too can meander down the driveway of the many acres he calls home, and glimpse into his multi faceted work shop and studio. Follow along as Scoon demonstrates a few of the many aspects of his sculptural process against the backdrop of his beautiful environment.
Available Works by Thomas Scoon
The sculptures of Reflection pose for their portrait.
About the Artist
Thomas Scoon received his Masters of Fine Art from Massachusetts College of Art in 1990 and a Bachelor of Fine Art from Illinois State University in 1988. He has taught sculpture at University of New Hampshire, Massachusetts College of Art and Pilchuck School. He was a recipient of a NEA Grant in Sculpture in 1999.
From quarries and fields Scoon chooses stones in shapes of heads and torsos to create abstract figurative sculpture combined with cast glass. They can range from pedestal to life size works. These figures are often grouped to create dialogue between them and often as family or generational relationships.
Thomas Scoon’s work is in numerous museum, corporate and collections including the Art in the Embassy Program, US State Department, Washington, DC