Venture Beneath the Canopy for Signature Carvings Created by a Champion

Tom Horn carved out a future for himself on the day he turned 13.

A walk through his booth, Venture Beneath  the Canopy, at a Rose Squared Art Show reveals his signature relief carvings and the miniature sculptures that capture the eye thanks to their precision with detail and color.

Turns out his mother was right when she recognized his talent and enrolled him in his first art class at 10. Yes, he pouted during the first seven weeks of it. Refusing to participate, Tom sat upstairs while class went on downstairs.

A handful of classes in, he spotted a carved screech owl.

“When I asked him about it, he told me he carved it,” Tom says. “I had never heard of carving, but I was intrigued.”

“You’re too young to carve!” the instructor informed. He had to wait until he was 13.

In the meantime, Tom joined his peers in a class that taught him to create in clay, tempera, oils, pastels, watercolors and acrylics. “On my 13^th birthday, I knocked at his door and said, ‘Let’s go.’”

His early carvings were decoys. Tom’s fascination with the arts was matched with an affection for science, particularly amphibians and reptiles. After earning a fine arts degree from Kutztown University near his hometown, Emmaus, Pennsylvania, he began interning for a jeweler and became a full-time goldsmith.

A 1995 trip to South America altered Tom’s path. He went there to learn more about wildlife in tropical rainforests, particularly poison dart frogs, having co-authored a book about them. His curiosity to understand every aspect of their husbandry led him to the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. It was an immersive experience that included living with the Bora, an indigenous tribe, for 10 days.

“It was as remote and wild west as you can ever imagine,” Tom said. “It’s the reason I’m carving today.”

Though he hadn’t carved since his teen years, Tom came back inspired.  Ten years later, he completed his first life-size work that incorporated Green Aracaris – toucans – and other tropical plants. His intention to capture the bird authentically meant actually having one as a pet.

The piece won Best in Show at novice level in the Ward World Competition, the international pinnacle for carvers. The carving took eight months to make, and Tom insisted he’d never carve again, but that didn’t last.

He won First in World Category-Life-size for his Plate-billed Mountain Toucan and spider, the first of four honors at that level..

His progression from novice to world champion was fueled by a dedication that made no detail insignificant. Tom studied bird anatomy when carving a bird, so he could study exactly how the legs join and specifically see how its hips and bones work together.

“I approach everything I do very scientifically,” he said.

Tom’s larger works are found in sanctuaries and museums, as they required hundreds of hours of research to tell a story. His booth is full of relief carvings and miniature sculptures, all inspired by nature and forged with wood and metal. His composition skills and unabashed use of color distinguish his work.

Find Venture Beneath the Canopy at the Rose Squared shows in 2027.