The Oar Project Found Objects For Moving Through Water

Tom Anderson

Oars and paddles are one of the great human innovations of form and function. Some of the earliest examples are from 620 BC. I copper-leafed my first oar in 1991 as a design prop in a presentation to the Olympia City Council for The Park Of The Seven Oars. My team and I completed the park in October 1993 on Harrison St in West Olympia.

The inspiration for The Park of the Seven Oars was a photo of seven women from a 1890s Bigelow family.
© City of Olympia

After the 2001 earthquake, the park was to be demolished for a road redesign and roundabout. After negotiations with the city, we rebuilt and expanded the park across the street with a better view in 2003. It is listed in The Smithsonian Directory Of Public Art in the U.S.

The Summer of 2023 Oar Project

This body of work represents a personal achievement. Not because it's a new subject but a new beginning. It's the first "art" I have made since I closed my studio in downtown Olympia two years ago (after forty-nine years) and relocated to a studio I built at my home at Summit Lake.

I often use recycled, found, or gifted oars, copper, metal leaf, aluminum, acrylic, and various hardware.
"The object isn't to make art; it's to be in that wonderful state that makes art inevitable."

ROBERT HENRI

Tom Anderson

Olympia, WA | (360) 357-5905 | ThomasAndersonArt.com

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