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Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1965, Tom Friedman received his bachelors of fine arts degree in graphic illustration from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1988. He received his masters of fine arts in sculpture in 1990 from the University of Illinois in Chicago. He lives in Conway, Massachusetts.

From Canvas to Candy
Friedman often uses unexpected materials in his work. He once chewed 1500 pieces of bubble gum and with it formed a large pink ball that he stuck in the corner of an exhibition space. He has also experimented with honey, which he poured on a floor until it pooled together in a large puddle. Friedman said, "someone thought I had urinated in the space and there was something about this that was interesting to me, something about appearance versus reality." ¹ Another material often used by Friedman is Play-doh. While Play-doh is a very commonly used by children, it is not usually used by adults.

• Thinking about this work, what do you think about the artist’s interest in "appearance versus reality?"
  
  
• Can you think of something you’ve seen, touched, or smelled that turned out to be something different than you first thought? What fooled you?

The fly in this sculpture is made with plastic, hair, fuzz, Play-doh, and wire.

• What do you think of an artist using things such as hair and Play-doh to create a work of art?
  
  
• Think of some unusual materials you might want to use to make an artwork. Why do these materials interest you?  How would you use them?

In the Making
The fly that you see, which is the actual size of a housefly, was handmade by the artist. The cube is made of painted wood.

• Why do you think the artist wanted to make the fly by hand, a very time-consuming process, instead of buying a small plastic one?
  
  
• Do you think it makes a difference that Friedman made the fly instead of buying a plastic one?  Why or why not?

When asked what attracts Friedman to the process of construction he replied, "when I make something, in a sense, I want to build it from the atom up to know what it is." ²

Size It Up

• Looking at this work on screen, it might be difficult to determine the fly’s size. Thinking about it in relation to the cube, how big do you think the fly is? 

The fly is the same size as an actual housefly and the cube is about 2 x 2 x 2 feet.

• Do you think this looks like a sculpture of a fly on an oversized pedestal or platform, or a sculpture of a white cube that a fly has landed on?

1. Jeffrey Kastner, "On Form in Emptiness: A Zen Way," The New York Times, Sunday, December 17, 2000, sec. K, p. 43.
   
   
2. Tom Friedman, notes from his exhibition at Feature Gallery, New York City, March 14– April 8, 2000.