Artwork copyright Tom Small. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2019.

Artwork copyright Tom Small. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2019.

Artwork copyright Tom Small. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2019.

Artwork copyright Tom Small. Photo courtesy of Department of Veterans Affairs, 2023.

Artwork copyright Tom Small. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2019.

Embrace, 2017

Tom Small
(American, born 1959)

Location: Walla Walla Veterans Home, Walla Walla

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Tom Small's organic sculpture is located in the center of the Memory Care Garden at the Walla Walla Veterans Home. The carved stone sculpture is paired with a place for thought and peacefulness. In his own words, Small notes "How does light move through stone? I try to push past stone’s identity as gravity-bound. Can flight or movement be suggested?"

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Department of Veterans Affairs.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Tom Small is a sculptor. He notes, "A stone's skin and shape tell thousand-year-old stories of rivers, glaciers, snow, ice and sun. It is for me, to walk the line between reverence and potential.”

Small was born and raised near Seattle. He studied sculpture, bronze casting, and welding at the University of Washington in Seattle. He began carving river stone in 1984. He is based on the San Juan Islands in North Puget Sound, Western Washington.