Found object sculpture, salt
Found object sculpture Salt
Found object sculpture salt
Found object sculpture Salt

  • Oh, that sculptors could paint paintings as well as he makes sculptures.

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

  • Simply described, they are made from found objects, from fabrics, dolls and wooden sculptures from Africa, Indonesia and here in the U.S. All this material is taken in to that vast, echoing, heroic mausoleum Todd Murphy calls his studio.

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

  • They are then chopped up, re-assembled with heads, bodies and torsos freely interchanged, and then partially covered with common salt mixed with an adhesive. They emerge as radically re-figured beings. Sounds like a project in Three Dimensional Design 102, doesn't it? But this is no rookie artist. He invests each newly fashioned sculpture with an eerie tactility

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

  • In every one of these 13 pieces, the tactile sensations come with an evocation of what one should call "The Poetics of Decay," the beauty of objects and substances, "the antique," whose active lives have ended, but which still live on in the imagination of the artist.

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

  • It’s about the idea of the infinite within the finite- the comfort in recognizing that physics/ science/ art all are about asking questions

    Todd Murphy Wide Awake at the Mattress Factory

  • It is this sense of beautiful decay which, contradicting the tactile quality of the sculptures, makes the viewer stop short, afraid to get too close. Any nearer in physical distance would break the spell and unforgivably offend the spirit inhabitants of these sculptures. That is the hand of Murphy the master.

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

  • We live in a society that at one time, you'd look at your hand and say, "Well, it's got five fin-gers, and a palm," and all of a sudden we hold a magnifying glass and see the pores, then with a microscope, we can see the cells and with an electromicroscope, we can see the electrons and neutrons. And yet, we have no more of a grasp of the essence of it.

    Todd Murphy Wide Awake at the Mattress Factory

  • It's the same thing looking at the universe. With all the sophisticated instruments we have, we are no closer to understanding the nature of the world. In geography, I'm not at all interested in the layers of the earth or what the density of something is. I just find it fascinating that no matter how deep you get, you're still no closer to knowing it

    TODD MURPHY

    Wide Awake at the Mattress Factory

  • He invests each newly fashioned sculpture with an eerie tactility

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

Murphy’s Studio at the Mattress Factory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995

Murphy’s Studio at the Mattress Factory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995

Murphy’s Studio at the Mattress Factory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995

Murphy’s Studio at the Mattress Factory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995

Murphy’s Studio at the Mattress Factory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995

Murphy’s Studio at the Mattress Factory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995

Murphy’s Studio at the Mattress Factory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995

Murphy’s Studio at the Mattress Factory, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995

Compass Boy, 1995, found object, salt 26 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (66 x 14 x 14 cm)

Compass Boy, 1995, found object, salt 26 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (66 x 14 x 14 cm)

Iris, 1995, Found objects/ mixed media, 27 1/2 x 10 1/4 x 20 in. (69.9 x 26 x 50.8 cm)

Iris, 1995, Found objects/ mixed media, 27 1/2 x 10 1/4 x 20 in. (69.9 x 26 x 50.8 cm)

Circus Boy Salt/ Mixed Media/ Found Object 35 x 16 x 16 in. (88.9 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm)

Circus Boy Salt/ Mixed Media/ Found Object 35 x 16 x 16 in. (88.9 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm)

Circus Boy Salt/ Mixed Media/ Found Object 35 x 16 x 16 in. (88.9 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm)

Circus Boy Salt/ Mixed Media/ Found Object 35 x 16 x 16 in. (88.9 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm)

Circus Boy Salt/ Mixed Media/ Found Object 35 x 16 x 16 in. (88.9 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm)

Circus Boy Salt/ Mixed Media/ Found Object 35 x 16 x 16 in. (88.9 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm)

St Salt Lick, 1995, salt/ mixed media/ found objects16 x 17 1/4 x 17 1/4 in. (40.6 x 43.8 x 43.8 cm)

St Salt Lick, 1995, salt/ mixed media/ found objects16 x 17 1/4 x 17 1/4 in. (40.6 x 43.8 x 43.8 cm)

Little Atlas, 1995, Salt, Found Object 13 x 13 1/2 x 12 in. (33 x 34.3 x 30.5 cm)

Little Atlas, 1995, Salt, Found Object 13 x 13 1/2 x 12 in. (33 x 34.3 x 30.5 cm)

Sheath Boy, 1995, Found objects 18 x 5 x 8 1/2 in. (45.7 x 12.7 x 21.6 cm)

Sheath Boy, 1995, Found objects 18 x 5 x 8 1/2 in. (45.7 x 12.7 x 21.6 cm)

TMS_4x5_337_WF.jpg
*TMS_4x5_1900_455 copy 2.jpg
Monocle Man, 1995, found objects/ mixed media, 19 x 13 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. (48.3 x 34.3 x 34.3 cm)

Monocle Man, 1995, found objects/ mixed media, 19 x 13 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. (48.3 x 34.3 x 34.3 cm)

Salt Dreamer, 1995, Found Objects, Salt 11 x 4 x 4 in. (27.9 x 10.2 x 10.2 cm)

Salt Dreamer, 1995, Found Objects, Salt 11 x 4 x 4 in. (27.9 x 10.2 x 10.2 cm)

The Boy who Plows the sky found object 19 x 18 x 9 in. (48.3 x 45.7 x 22.9 cm)

The Boy who Plows the sky found object 19 x 18 x 9 in. (48.3 x 45.7 x 22.9 cm)

*TMS_4x5_1900_453 copy.jpg
Untitled, 1995, found object, 19” x 18” x 9”, 1995

Untitled, 1995, found object, 19” x 18” x 9”, 1995

Untitled, 1995 (transitions to The Spanish Discover the Piedmont, 1995)

Untitled, 1995 (transitions to The Spanish Discover the Piedmont, 1995)

The Spanish Discover the Piedmont, 1995 Found objects32 x 6 x 16 in.

The Spanish Discover the Piedmont, 1995 Found objects32 x 6 x 16 in.

The Great Explorers, 1995, 21 x 10 x 10 1/2 in. (53.3 x 25.4 x 26.7 cm)

The Great Explorers, 1995, 21 x 10 x 10 1/2 in. (53.3 x 25.4 x 26.7 cm)

The Great Explorers, 1995, 21 x 10 x 10 1/2 in. (53.3 x 25.4 x 26.7 cm)

The Great Explorers, 1995, 21 x 10 x 10 1/2 in. (53.3 x 25.4 x 26.7 cm)

Kneeling Honey Boy 23 x 29 x 14 in. (58.4 x 73.7 x 35.6 cm)

Kneeling Honey Boy 23 x 29 x 14 in. (58.4 x 73.7 x 35.6 cm)

Peking Man, 1995, Found Object 18 1/2 x 10 x 16 in. (47 x 25.4 x 40.6 cm)

Peking Man, 1995, Found Object 18 1/2 x 10 x 16 in. (47 x 25.4 x 40.6 cm)

*TMS_4x5_1900_461 copy.jpg
Untitled, 1995, Found objects 15 x 9 x 7 1/2 in. (38.1 x 22.9 x 19.1 cm)

Untitled, 1995, Found objects 15 x 9 x 7 1/2 in. (38.1 x 22.9 x 19.1 cm)

Little Boy, 1995, 8 1/2 x 6 x 6 in. (21.6 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm)

Little Boy, 1995, 8 1/2 x 6 x 6 in. (21.6 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm)

*TMS_4x5_1900_453 copy.jpg
*TMS_4x5_1900_460 copy.jpg
Places Beyond Here, 1995, found objects/ mixed media21 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (54.6 x 16.5 x 19.1 cm)

Places Beyond Here, 1995, found objects/ mixed media21 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (54.6 x 16.5 x 19.1 cm)

Mapping, 1995, 21 x 9 1/2 x 10 in. (53.3 x 24.1 x 25.4 cm)

Mapping, 1995, 21 x 9 1/2 x 10 in. (53.3 x 24.1 x 25.4 cm)

TMS__272.jpg
The Plough Stone, 1995

The Plough Stone, 1995

Circus Boy, 1995, Salt / Mixed media / found objects, 73 x 20 x 25 in. (185.4 x 50.8 x 63.5 cm)

Circus Boy, 1995, Salt / Mixed media / found objects, 73 x 20 x 25 in. (185.4 x 50.8 x 63.5 cm)

Boy with Rabbit Ears, 1995, salt/ found objects, 24 x 7 3/8 x 7 1/4 in. (61 x 18.7 x 18.4 cm)

Boy with Rabbit Ears, 1995, salt/ found objects, 24 x 7 3/8 x 7 1/4 in. (61 x 18.7 x 18.4 cm)

The Spanish Explorers, 1995, Salt/ Mixed Media/ Found Object 19 1/2 x 7 x 8 in. (49.5 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm)

The Spanish Explorers, 1995, Salt/ Mixed Media/ Found Object 19 1/2 x 7 x 8 in. (49.5 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm)

TMS_4x5_1900_468 copy.jpg
*TMS_4x5_1900_468 copy.jpg
1995, 24 x 6 x 6 in. (61 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm)

1995, 24 x 6 x 6 in. (61 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm)

Untitled, 1995, found object 38 1/2 x 20 x 20 in. (97.8 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm)

Untitled, 1995, found object 38 1/2 x 20 x 20 in. (97.8 x 50.8 x 50.8 cm)

*TMS_4x5_1900_464 copy.jpg
Untitled, 1995, salt, mm, found objects, 11 1/2”x 10 1/2” x 9 1/2”

Untitled, 1995, salt, mm, found objects, 11 1/2”x 10 1/2” x 9 1/2”

Compass Boy, 1995, found object salt 26 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (66 x 14 x 14 cm)

Compass Boy, 1995, found object salt 26 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (66 x 14 x 14 cm)

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Untitled, 1995, mixed media on paper, 46” x 38 1/2”

Untitled, 1995, mixed media on paper, 46” x 38 1/2”

Untitled (Aethicus Ister) 1995 20 x 20 x 2 in. (50.8 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm)

Untitled (Aethicus Ister) 1995 20 x 20 x 2 in. (50.8 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm)

The British Dominions Beyond the Seas 20 x 20 x 2 in. (50.8 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm)

The British Dominions Beyond the Seas 20 x 20 x 2 in. (50.8 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm)

Pangea, 1995, oil paint, plexi, photo collage, wood, found object 144 x 180 in. (365.8 x 457.2 cm)

Pangea, 1995, oil paint, plexi, photo collage, wood, found object 144 x 180 in. (365.8 x 457.2 cm)

Pangea, 1995, Detail

Pangea, 1995, Detail

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Todd Murphy, The New World, Chassie Post, New York, NY 1995

Señora Columbus, 1995 Found objects 30 x 14 x 16 in. (76.2 x 35.6 x 40.6 cm)

Señora Columbus, 1995 Found objects 30 x 14 x 16 in. (76.2 x 35.6 x 40.6 cm)

  • Simply described, they are made from found objects, from fabrics, dolls and wooden sculptures from Africa, Indonesia and here in the U.S. All this material is taken in to that vast, echoing, heroic mausoleum Todd Murphy calls his studio.

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

  • They are then chopped up, re-assembled with heads, bodies and torsos freely interchanged, and then partially covered with common salt mixed with an adhesive. They emerge as radically re-figured beings. Sounds like a project in Three Dimensional Design 102, doesn't it? But this is no rookie artist. He invests each newly fashioned sculpture with an eerie tactility

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

  • In every one of these 13 pieces, the tactile sensations come with an evocation of what one should call "The Poetics of Decay," the beauty of objects and substances, "the antique," whose active lives have ended, but which still live on in the imagination of the artist.

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

  • Oh, that sculptors could paint paintings as well as he makes scullptures.

    Donalde Locke

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World

  • It's the same thing looking at the universe. With all the sophisticated instruments we have, we are no closer to understanding the nature of the world. In geography, I'm not at all interested in the layers of the earth or what the density of something is. I just find it fascinating that no matter how deep you get, you're still no closer to knowing it

    TODD MURPHY

    Wide Awake at the Mattress Factory

  • It is this sense of beautiful decay which, contradicting the tactile quality of the sculptures, makes the viewer stop short, afraid to get too close. Any nearer in physical distance would break the spell and unforgivably offend the spirit inhabitants of these sculptures. That is the hand of Murphy the master.

    A World Apart Todd Murphy’s New World by Donald Locke

Wide Awake at the Mattress Factory Todd Murphy By Regan Hofmann, 1995

Wide Awake at the Mattress Factory Todd Murphy By Regan Hofmann, 1995

Interview and essay by Regan Hofmann

Interview and essay by Regan Hofmann

Todd_Murphy_Poets Artists & Madmen_July_1995__003 copy.jpg
A WORLD APART Todd Murphy's "The New World" by Donald Locke , 1995 Fay Gold Gallery

A WORLD APART Todd Murphy's "The New World" by Donald Locke , 1995 Fay Gold Gallery

The Collector's Vision, Collection o f Peter Spirer Catalog entry Todd Murphy, Kennesaw College, New world 1995 by Mimmo Paladino

The Collector's Vision, Collection o f Peter Spirer Catalog entry Todd Murphy, Kennesaw College, New world 1995 by Mimmo Paladino

"Reinventing symbols can be touchy work" Atlanta Journal Atlanta Constitution Art Review by Jerry Cullum

"Reinventing symbols can be touchy work" Atlanta Journal Atlanta Constitution Art Review by Jerry Cullum

A WORLD APART Todd Murphy's "The New World" by Donald Locke 1995

A WORLD APART Todd Murphy's "The New World" by Donald Locke 1995

Wide Awake at the Mattress Factory Todd Murphy By Regan Hofmann, 1995
Interview and essay by Regan Hofmann
Todd_Murphy_Poets Artists & Madmen_July_1995__003 copy.jpg
The Collector's Vision, Collection o f Peter Spirer Catalog entry Todd Murphy, Kennesaw College, New world 1995 by Mimmo Paladino
"Reinventing symbols can be touchy work" Atlanta Journal Atlanta Constitution Art Review by Jerry Cullum
A WORLD APART Todd Murphy's "The New World" by Donald Locke , 1995 Fay Gold Gallery
A WORLD APART Todd Murphy's "The New World" by Donald Locke 1995