To create his large, hand-painted wall sculptures, Atlanta’s Tommy Moss subscribes to a simple philosophy of minimalist forms with maximalist surfaces.
Artist: A fourth-generation Atlanta native, Moss graduated with a business degree from Georgia State University. He later took art classes at various art colleges in the Atlanta area.
Company/studio: Tommy Moss LLC, started in 2001. The artist works out of an expansive studio space in the lower level of his home in metro Atlanta.
His company collaborates with art and design professionals to produce artwork and installations for hospitality, healthcare and corporate settings worldwide.
In the beginning: After an injury stalled his yoga career in the 1990s. Moss turned to making art to occupy his time and mind.
Art & materials: Large-scale assemblages of highly colorful, textural, hand-painted modules, including wooden circles, cubes, spheres and single panels.
The components are typically painted on all visible sides giving the wall-hung sculptures a 3D-ish quality. This allows the viewer to experience the work from different vantage points.
“With all of my work, I strive to achieve a sense of playfulness with highly chromatic, contrasting color combinations, and whimsical and lively compositions,” said Moss.
What’s popular: The “Cluster Cube” series ($10,000 to $15,000).
Other favorites: The “Matrix” ($8,000 to $16,000.)
Favorite tools: T-square, ruler, pencil and squirt bottle.
Influences:
- Monumental scale and expansive use of color echo the esthetic of various abstract expressionists.
- Emphasis on geometric abstraction, characteristic of many Op art painters.
- Aim for “visual impact,” achieved by the bold and bright Pop art creations of the 1960s.
Fun or special commissions: Finishing up a piece with a “hidden message” for a corporate client in Denver.
The “cells” in the grid are broken down into the “dots and dashes” used in Morse code. They “spell out” the 7 Elements of Art: line, shape, tone, color, pattern, texture and form.
What’s next: A few commissions, including: Energizing a 30-foot-wall in a hospital in Houston with a dozen overlapping circles broken down into thousands of hand-painted cubes.
Where to buy: tommymoss.net.
Get social:
- Instagram: @tommymosscontemporaryart
- Facebook: TommyMoss
