Sculptor Thad Mosley
Thaddeus Mosley and I have been pals for more than two decades. We’ve bonded through our appreciation for art and jazz music. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure to snap many frames of him, including in his studio where he transforms huge logs into world-class works of art. He also has graciously and patiently sat for a few portraits in my small home studio.
An acclaimed sculptor, Thad’s work has been featured at Rockefeller Center, Baltimore Museum of Art, Musée National Eugène Delacroix, in Paris, and other renowned galleries. In 2018, his work was prominently featured in the 57th Carnegie International at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. He estimates that he’s created more than 800 pieces since the mid 1950s, beginning with smaller ones depicting birds and fish before transitioning into gallery-sized sculptures. His largest is the “Phoenix” located on Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie Street in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. Crafted from cedar, the towering sculpture took about seven months to complete and stands 24 feet tall, including its base. On the cusp of turning 98, Thad has no plans to slow down.
“When I first started out, very few people were interested in what I was doing. But as I became known more people became interested in my work. People who bought smaller sculptures in the 1970s and ‘80s are wishing they had purchased larger pieces.”
“At my age, I only have so many rides left on the merry-go-round, so I’m going to ride it as long as I can.”