Thomas Hoitsma

A Bit Tarnished

2021

The Heart of the Matter – Metal Wall Sculptures Artist Statement by Tom Hoitsma: In October 2019 my family learned first-hand a brutal lesson about the climate crisis. Dallas used to see one tornado each year. For the last few years that number had tripled and the intensity of the tornados has increased. On October 20, 2019 one of these super tornados ripped through our Dallas neighborhood. With winds up to 140 miles per hour and three quarters of a mile wide, this tornado literally came right down our street. By some act of God, the tornado jumped over the first 5 houses on the west end of our street (including my house), which I was in at the time with my kids, but destroyed most of the homes just west of us. We have all seen images of this kind of destruction on television but to walk the neighborhood the next morning, and see the destruction with my own eyes was completely surreal and deeply disturbing. As usual, my eye kept settling on the sculptural beauty in some of the wreckage, especial the twisted metal. I collected some of these broken and bent objects and brought them to my studio to contemplate. On our walk the morning after the tornado, my 12 year old daughter and I bumped into a couple standing in front of their home. It was destroyed. The roof was gone, a few interior walls were standing but most of the exterior walls were just piles of brick. The couple pointed to an interior white door that was still standing (the exterior walls to that room were gone) and said, “do you see that white door? We were all huddle behind that door when the tornado ripped the roof off the house. The air was thick with debris flying around and we all just clutched each other until it finally passed. In front of that door used to be our bedroom (there were no walls standing). We’re so grateful that the four of us made it out without a scratch.” And that made me think. People are so resilient. Events in our lives can break our hearts but somehow we cannot be defeated. Like these sculptures, our hearts get tangled, bruised and battered but still remain full of hope and joy. We all emerge, changed from experiences but eventually, hopeful for the future. It became clear that this twisted metal was the perfect metaphor. To take this material which had been so tortured by this tornado and create something vibrant and beautiful. This work, born of the tragedy created by the climate crisis and super storms, is an examination of the impact of the “new normal...

The Heart of the Matter – Metal Wall Sculptures Artist Statement by Tom Hoitsma: In October 2019 my family learned first-hand a brutal lesson about the climate crisis. Dallas used t...

Criswell's dimensional wall sculpture emerged from a study of spatial organization by arranging basic, repetitive shapes into a harmonious balance, while exploring the concept of sim...

Criswell's standing sculpture emerged from a study of spatial organization by arranging basic, repetitive shapes into a harmonious balance, while exploring the concept of simultaneou...

Criswell's standing sculpture emerged from a study of spatial organization by arranging basic, repetitive shapes into a harmonious balance, while exploring the concept of simultaneou...

Mancarella's sculptures are from the series titled "Elements". Formal design principles are the basis for Mancarella's work which is typically made of wood and metal. Taken individua...

This beautiful Laser cut sculpture is part of Ilanit`s Calligraphy series. It is made of laser cut aluminium covered with automotive paint. As all of Ilanit`s works, this work is ba...

This beautiful laser cut sculpture is part of Ilanit`s Calligraphy series. It is made of laser cut aluminium and covered with black automotive paint. The pieces can be hung horizontally or vertically as seen in the images. The length of each piece is 20.5" and each has a different height: 25.5", 27.5" and 28.3". The size written in the description of the work is if all 3 are placed horizontally with 6" gap in between them. The pieces can also be custom sized!!! As all of Ilanit`s works, this work is based on a poem Ilanit wrote. At first, it looks as an abstract wall sculpture, but as you dive into it you start recognizing the Hebrew letter of the poem. The words of the poem that are hidden in this work are: "Excuse/ pardon me miss, Where did you say it feels good...

This beautiful Laser cut sculpture is part of Ilanit`s Calligraphy series. It is made of laser cut aluminium covered with automotive paint. As all...

This beautiful Laser cut sculpture is part of Ilanit`s Calligraphy series. It is made of laser cut aluminium covered with automotive paint. As all...

This beautiful Laser cut sculpture is part of Ilanit`s Calligraphy series. It is made of laser cut aluminium covered with automotive paint. As all...

This beautiful Laser cut sculpture is part of Ilanit`s Calligraphy series. It is made of laser cut aluminium covered with automotive paint. As all of Ilanit`s works, this work is ba...