Thomas Givens is inspired by the character of the wood or the environment - each work an homage to Nature.
Whale Tail
The Whale Tail is constructed of strips of Spanish cedar and Honduran mahogany, a cherry tree limb, and a stump of osage orange. It was completed as a public art piece in 2007 to the delight of the Charlottesville, Virginia community as part of Art-in-Place. See Artist Bio for more of the story. (completed in 2007, measures 30ft x 28ft x 15ft)
Humpback Whale Tail 2
Humpback Whale Tail 2, overlooks the ocean in Peace Arch Park in Blaine, WA. As part of the 12th Annual International Sculpture Exhibition located in a major US gateway to Canada, the exhibit will be seen by millions of visitors to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Constructed of reclaimed mahogany. (completed in 2009, measures 9ft x 16ft x 12ft)
Humpback Whale Tail
The Humpback Whale Tail was installed at Courthouse Galleries in Portsmouth, Virginia as part of their 2008 Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. Tom used traditional boat building methods to create his second whale sculpture: symmetrical pieces were built of Hondorus Mahogany and finished with UV- resistant polyurethane off site; the two pieces were then trucked in, and assembled on location. As part of the Polk Museum Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition in Winter Haven, it garnered the People's Choice Award in 2009. (completed in 2008, measures 9ft x 16ft x 12ft)
Whale Tail 3
Built of reclaimed Honduras mahogany. It is installed in Perrysburg, Ohio as part of the Perrsyburg Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition 2008.
(measures 5ft x 14ft x 12ft)
Downward Spiral
Honduran mahogany and Cherry Root. Collection of the artist.
(measures 7ft x 3ft x 3ft)
Grizzly
The students and staff of Grymes Memorial School hated to lose this sprawling shade-maker at their main entrance, but the top was damaged and had to go. They left 12 feet of stump and are delighted the red oak tree gets a second life as school mascot. (completed in 2007, measures 3ft x 3ft x 12ft)
Bomb
The bomb is Tom's response to the war in Iraq. The bombing of Bagdad, unexploded ordinance, the odd skills required to produce a weapon of mass destruction all come to mind. His work on this piece began with the beginning of the war. Like the war, completion was difficult.
(Private collection, 2007, Honduran Mahogany and Spanish Cedar, measures 2ft x 2ft x 7ft).
Tortoise The Tortoise lives at Cville Coffee under the care and feeding of Toan and several dozen children daily. It is made from black walnut and camphor. (completed in 2005, measures 6ft x 5ft x 4ft)
Anchor Anchor was inspired by massive de-commissioned anchors surrounding the USS Constellation in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It is constructed of Honduran mahogany. (completed in 2003, measures 11ft x 7ft x 3ft).
An interview from local highschool students for their newspaper. A significant benefit of working in public art is encountering the public. Givens is well practiced at guiding visitors through his process, educating and exciting fans of all ages and levels of art experience.
Mary Michaud Interview:
What has it been like to construct the Whale Tail in public view?
"Well it’s been fun. It’s a little bit of pressure I put myself under. It’s been nice to have people stop by and tell me how much they like it. That’s been cool. It’s gratifying. Positive feedback.
I’ve had three or four people from Monterey California stop by – two of them told me they feel at home now they see this thing in Charlottesville. My mother keeps saying we should have a signature book just to record the people who have stopped.
People want to know what’s holding it up so I explain that to people three or four times a day, but I enjoy it. One gentleman told me I was a national treasure right here in Charlottesville. That sounded great - I liked that. A young lady stopped by yesterday. She works at a gallery in NY. Artist people stop by regularly. One guy ... he doesn’t read and he does folk art. I’ve had several people, really country people, stop by and tell me they do folk art. It’s interesting. Read the rest of the interview here...
