TAG ARTIST

Thomas E. Hornyak

Sculpture

I am a Frederick Maryland-based sculptor who has come to this point in life in a very round-about and unconventional way. I have had a full career as a civil engineer in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 2006 and transitioning to a career in the construction of power plants. All very non-artistic endeavors. Along the way I picked up my M.A. in historic preservation where I became increasingly interested in the preservation of stone, or more to the point how- and who- created all of the beautiful stone carvings and designs found on our historic buildings including those in Downtown Frederick should you by chance look up.

Bud & Lou

Limestone each 6" h x 3" w

Trebuchon

Limestone 14" h x 4.5" L x 4.5" w

A Frederick Townhouse

Limestone 14" h x 8" L x 8" w

Miss Keela

Limestone 8" h x 8" L x 6" w

Mark V Diving Helmet

Limestone 14" h x 16" L x 10" w

The Rat (though some have called him Muchacho)

Limestone with wrought iron tail 8" h x 4" w

Steve a.k.a The Hoarder

Limestone 12" h x 4" L x 5"w

Chrysler Eagle

Limestone 8" h x 13" L x 7" w

The Explorer in my Shower

limestone

The Sky is Falling

limestone, brass, copper, steel and wrought iron. 8" radius, 4" wide,

Interest lead to a desire to try stone carving myself. A starter set of chisels, a salvaged limestone window sill, and here we are, ten years on creating shapes and figures in limestone. Increasingly I am also trying to incorporate wrought metal into some of my pieces having tried my hand at blacksmithing.

My subjects of inspiration vary- from inspired doodles and cartoons in my sketchbook, to very technical and highly detailed pieces, to very representational pieces using minimal detail and relying more on the shapes to express the idea.

Some pieces are meant to be silly, some to reflect the beauty of art deco design, and still others done “just because” to challenge myself and see if I can create what I see inside my head. All are meant to be touched so as to feel the surface texture imparted on the stone in the place where color may have done so in a painting. All of my work is done in limestone as it was the primary stone used by builders on the facades for which their designs decorated and is capable of holding very high detail without breaking in the process. Limestone provides a permanence to my work that can last a hundred if not a thousand lifetimes, and that in itself is pretty amazing.

All of my work is signed R. Z. Zoot; I don’t believe I have ever signed anything I have made since the 10th grade with my real name. There is a long and complex story involved but the name has stuck with me ever since and he is me and I am he.

Website: RZZoot.com