In a barn studio brimming with creative chaos, Thomas Deininger redefines the boundaries of art by transforming discarded materials into colorful narratives. With a childhood shaped by ADHD and dyslexia, Deininger found solace in drawing and building, laying the foundation for his unique artistic approach. His pieces, often revealing different facets from various angles, invite viewers to experience a range of emotions and engage with pressing environmental issues. Despite the challenges of working with non-traditional materials, Deininger views obstacles as opportunities for innovation, creating art that evokes a range of emotions. To learn more about Thomas Deininger and his work, read on.

Where are you based?
I work out of a barn studio on our family animal rescue farm in the little coastal town of Tiverton, Rhode Island (located on the northeast coast of the United States).

What inspired you to start creating art?
I always needed to make things. Drawing and building were compulsions for me because as a child I had ADHD and dyslexia so these methods were my preferred methods of communicating my thoughts and emotions.

Your art is so unique and multilayered. Can you tell us about your process when creating one of your art pieces? Do you start with the end shape and find the pieces for that in mind or the other way around?
The process for how I create my work is very fluid. Despite being more well known for my found object sculpture, I make photos, collages, videos and still paint almost everyday as a kind of disciplinary practice. I try to spend equal amounts of time bird watching and observing the natural world as I do taking in the cultural landscape we humans all inhabit, shape and share. It’s a balance. Objects and concepts inform the subject and visa versa.

How do you select the materials, and what is your approach to transforming these discarded items into art?
Now that I’ve been doing this a while I see parts and pieces of creatures (birds, fish, insects etc.) in all kinds of man-made materials. I see beaks and wings and feathers claws everywhere in a kind of reverse biomimicry. Conversely, I also see shapes and textures of specific objects when observing the natural world. Sometimes a material or action figure inspires the subject, sometimes it’s the other way around.

Your work often explores themes of mass consumerism and environmental concerns. What initially inspired you to start creating art from found objects and non-recyclable materials?
The environmental/ecological crisis is probably my largest political /social concern. I have always been sensitive to these issues but the catalyst to make the statement was definitely witnessing first hand plastics wash up on remote islands in the South Pacific when I was on a years long surfing trip around the world. I became very disappointed about American consumer culture being exported all over the world. It clearly seemed like a temporary solution with long term deleterious consequence.

What challenges do you face in working with non-traditional materials, and how do these challenges influence the outcome of your pieces?
Brace yourself for this generic platitude… the challenges are really just opportunities…. I feel embarrassed to even be thinking that way never mind stating it. But it happens to be true. We often create the problems we want to solve. Getting the physical materials to hold all together is just a technical issue.

What goes into the thought process on how to make a piece of art that looks very different from different angles?
The goal is to make an interesting, completely abstract sculpture that also contains provocative, subversive, or humorous elements (by manipulation of the various action figures) that from one very particular vantage point resolves into a convincing image of a creature. The whole thing is really a meditation on perspective and illusion and the fragility of our world view in any given emotional state. The practice is also about order in chaos.

How do you hope viewers will respond when they see your work?
Ideally the viewer falls for the “trick” then as the illusion falls apart and they become disoriented for a few seconds that inspires curiosity, wonder or harmless vulnerability. This would then give way to a kind of repulsion or soft despair when one considers the implications of the materials… this could then be broken by a little comic relief, social narrative or nostalgia smashing. So in short, a range of emotions. Some good some not so good, but perhaps necessary.

In what ways do you see your art contributing to broader conversations about sustainability and environmental responsibility?
Constructing absurdist sculptures is obviously not a reasonable or practical solution to addressing to the mounting problems of sustainability or environmental responsibility, but potentially the work could serve as a reminder about the issues when one least expects it, and possibly inspire others to think about new solutions. I think one of the powers of art is it that it effects the psyche which potentially leads to synapses in the brain to fire differently, which in turn perhaps makes new connections that may eventually lead to thoughts that become ideas for solutions.

How do you see your work evolving in the future? Are there new techniques, materials, or themes you are interested in exploring?
There’s certainly no shortage of muses, materials or motivation so they will undoubtedly change in scale and form. I’ve worked many years to hone this bizarre craft. I feel like I will just keep perfecting over time. In the end It will be my minuscule niche contribution to the cultural world.

Can you share a specific project or piece that you are particularly proud of?
Not really. I’m just building a body of work over time. Certain pieces will speak to some people and not others.

Looking forward, are there any new themes or concepts you are interested in exploring through your art?
I regularly do little “call backs” and make memes in the pieces. Sadistic murder Elmo, suicidal Woody from Toy Story, Toxic Disney characters, on and on. Sometimes they take on overt political statements. Sometimes they are more subtle cultural criticisms, and I occasionally respond to cultural events.

Are there any upcoming projects you would like to share?
I’m participating in a few nice group shows in the following year. One at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and another at the Max Ernst museum in Germany.

It has been a crazy past few years, how have you been staying positive?
I’m one of those types that needs meditation, exercise, proper eating habits and to do something creative everyday so I don’t lose the plot entirely (to the extent that there even is one).

What is your motto in life?
I have a lot of mottos that get me through. Finding humor, wonder and/or beauty in the mundane or ordinary is the real objective. The unlikely miracle of this opportunity to even consider the concept is profound.

To learn more about Thomas Deininger, please follow the his Instagram below:
@tdeininger

Thomas Deininger - Trash to Treasure