Meet Tom Haney

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Haney.

Tom, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My wife Paula Joerling, (also an artist) and I moved to the south in 1992. We began making whirligigs after having seen them in a folk artist’s yard. A couple of years later I saw a man who incorporated carved wooden figures into his whirligigs. I decided to teach myself to carve wood and to make articulated figures. This was the beginning of my journey as an artist. Between 1994 and 2000, I made simple kinetic figures in my spare time, and in 2000 I heard about the top-tier art festivals. Since I’ve always wanted to be an artist, I decided that participating in these art festivals would be the way to do it full-time, and sell the work myself.

Since then, my work has evolved, has become more complicated, and more sophisticated. Over the years, I have included mechanical devices such as wind-up motors, (from old Victrolas and 8mm movie cameras), electric motors, and even motion sensors. The materials I have explored, and still use today, range from polymer clay, fabrics (vintage and new), paper ephemera, lights and lighting fixtures (old and new), and a wide range of found objects, (including salvaged mechanical devices) – really anything old, rusty, tarnished, worn, or distressed, is a possible candidate for inclusion in one of my pieces.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been a few ups and downs over the years sales-wise – mostly because of the economy – but for me I think the most challenging thing right now is being a one-man-band – including being my own promoter. I started out as an independent artist, and after 10 years of going the gallery route, I’ve recently decided to go back to being independent.

It would be wonderful to just spend all of my time in the studio making artwork, but with being independent, I now have to wear many different hats. Social media is one thing you have to keep up with. And with me, since most of my work is kinetic, I like to make short videos of my pieces and post them on YouTube and Vimeo. Time taken to edit videos takes time away from working in the studio. Sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day. I also maintain, and keep updated, a blog and a website. Even with all these time challenges, I do like having control over all aspects of my brand – and I think I’m the best person at telling my story, and explaining my work.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m an independent artist who makes mostly kinetic, figurative artworks. Not many people have the skill-set to create all that is needed in a mechanical piece, formally called an automaton, (plural is automata). My whole life I’ve been mechanically inclined and I love creating custom devices to move my figures. I’ve also always strived to do unique and different work, and automata is certainly that. I enjoy it because it involves so many different processes – and I never get bored doing one thing.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
In 1999, I was lucky to meet fellow artist, Paul Andrews, who told me all about the art festival circuit, and about all the best shows to apply to. Up until that time, I made pieces and held onto them – I didn’t sell anything because I knew someday I would have a show, or be in a gallery. Learning about the art festivals was the linchpin to my future career as a full-time artist. I changed from being a prop and model maker to being an artist almost overnight.

Pricing:

• My work ranges from a few hundred dollars to over $15,000.
• My kinetic pieces start at $2000. and go up.

Contact Info:

• Address: 132 Cone Street NW
  Atlanta, GA 30303
  Studio visits by appointment.
• Website: http://www.tomhaney.com/
• Phone: 404-659-3160 Studio landline – no texts.
• Email: tom@tomhaney.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomhaneyartwork/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tom-Haneys-Artwork-329467316176/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tom_haney
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVvAMbuYV3f4p4buoulapQ?view_as=public

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.