Zen and the Art of Sculpting Trees: Tom Mulczynski

Wire Sculpture Artist Tom Mulczynski

"Wire is an extraordinarily capable sculptural material - it can at once represent the airy weightlessness of a strand of hair or the taught power of a rigid muscle or rope. It's no surprise, then, that so many sculptors find it to be indispensable for their work." (Viktorija G, Bored Panda, "15 Of The Most Beautifully Twisted Wire Sculptures" http://www.boredpanda.com/wire-sculpture-art/)

"Nirvana," Wire and Mixed Media by Tom Mulczynski

Gallery Underground member and exhibiting artist Tom Mulczynski has always loved the unique form and natural beauty of individual trees - iconic symbols of life and nature. He began making trees from steel wire in 2008, creating bonsai-sized representations of trees that caught his eye. Drawn to the expressive power of trees and drawing inspiration from the simplicity of classical Zen-inspired depictions of nature, he likes to experiment with different styles and materials to express some basic truth or feeling, like freedom or expansiveness.  He often tries to evoke in the observer a sense of kinetic movement, static grace or gentle spirituality.  He occasionally ventures more directly into abstraction, fantasy and whimsy. 

"The use of metal wire in jewelry dates back to the 2nd Dynasty in Egypt and to the Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe. In the 20th century, the works of Alexander Calder, Ruth Asawa, and other modern practitioners developed the medium of wire sculpture as an art form...Calder’s wire sculptures of this period tended to be portraits, caricatures, and stylized representations of people and animals. While originally believing the medium of wire sculpture to be merely clever and amusing, as his work developed, he began to state that wire sculpture had an important place in the history of art and remarked on the great possibilities that lie within the medium.

"Evergreen," Wire and Mixed Media by Tom Mulczynski

“These new studies in wire, however, did not remain the simple modest little things I had done in New York.[Calder stated]." "They are still simple, more simple than before; and therein lie the great possibilities which I have only recently come to feel for the wire medium... There is one thing, in particular, which connects them with history. One of the canons of the futuristic painters, as propounded by Modigliani, was that objects behind other objects should not be lost to view, but should be shown through the others by making the latter transparent. The wire sculpture accomplishes this in a most decided manner.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_sculpture)

Mulczynski is a self-trained artist who occasionally dabbles in acrylic paint and other media. While making sure he focuses on having fun and enjoying the process of making art, he nevertheless hopes to inspire in the observer an increased awareness of self and of nature. 

"Contorted Filbert," Wire and Mixed Media by Tom Mulczynski

Mission accomplished - viewers and buyers alike report that Mulczynski's compelling pieces evoke a sense of calm, much the way being present in nature does.

--Sandi Parker, Gallery Underground Co-Director