Tom Gormally

NWDC is pleased to share the art and ideas of Tom Gormally. 

Tom Gormally is an award-winning American sculptor working primarily with wood and mixed media. He has exhibited nationally and internationally for four decades, in galleries, museums and outdoor sculpture exhibitions, with numerous publications and reviews. Gormally was awarded the NEA/MAAA Fellowship in Sculpture, and an International Residencies for Artists travel grant. He lives in Seattle with his wife, artist Malayka Gormally. Learn more about Tom Gormally here: https://www.tomgormallysculpture.com/

Tom Gormally, Descending Storm, 2025, Wood, steel, LED lights, paint, stain, pickling solution, wiring, porcelain, 102" x 40" x 40", Photo: Mark Woods /  Tom Gormally, Communication Breakdown with Stellar's Jay, 2024, Wood, steel, stain, paint, LED lights, wiring, porcelain, 84"  x 35" x 35", Photo: Mark Woods 

How were you introduced to art?

I've been drawing and building things since I was a child. In elementary and high school, I won poster design contests, designed the playbills for class plays, and looked forward to Friday in school when we did art. I was always making things with my hands, building go-carts, forts, igloos in the winter, all kinds of things. 

Where do you find inspiration when creating new work?

I find inspiration from my study of art history, from historical works such as Cycladic sculpture, to early Renaissance artists like Giotto, modernist artists like Henry Moore and Constantin Brâncuși, and American folk art. In addition, I get ideas from the contemporary news cycle, especially socio-political issues. I find inspiration in nature and in poetry. Lastly, fairy tales and myths from multiple cultures are a big source of inspiration; this includes stories from native cultures, the Irish storytelling culture, early American animated cartoons, and characters from vaudeville. 

What do you consider your greatest artistic achievement?

The ability to be creating work for fifty years and still be excited about working daily and being culturally engaged.

What is the quality you most like in an artist?

For the artists I admire, I love that their experience goes into what they are expressing with their work, and that they refine that expression to such a high level that it pulls the viewer in.

Which living artist do you most admire?

Anselm Keifer - the depth of feeling in his work, and his courage to speak to truth. I also like Tom Otterness’s work;  he expresses truth to power in a humorous but deeply meaningful way.

Tom Gormally, Empty Suit, 2026, Wood, paint, LED light, plastic labware, 24” x 24” x 65”, Photo: Mark Woods / Tom Gormally, Saint Doesn’t Know Whether He Is Coming Or Going, 2026, Wood, cast glass, LED light, gold leaf, resin, 28” x 28” x 82”, Photo: Mark Woods

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

More confidence in my career-building skills.

What is your most treasured possession?

My studio, my brain, and my breath.

Who has had a significant influence over your work?

Artists such as Constantin Brâncuși and HC Westerman have been a significant influence. In addition, many of the arts in general have been influences for me, particularly folk and native arts, furniture making, architecture, and poetics; the idea that making a sculpture is like writing a poem: an idea, a stanza, different forms coming together until it is completed.

How has your studio practice changed?

I now do more refinement and editing to create the most elemental work; I work towards the refinement of concepts and conceptual elements, keeping it to essentials, nothing more, and nothing less. Additionally, the craft element of my work has a larger voice than it used to; I’m very conscious of refining a work to the place where I want people to see it, cutting out anything that would stop the eye or stop the flow of the viewer experiencing the work. 

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

To have my health and to be present daily for my work and my family.