Thomas Sullivan’s Cosmic Werks Studios specializes in steel oddities, outrageous yard flowers, strange thoughts, wind chimes, candle holders, shenanigans, plant stands, scrap art, speacecraft repair, sign-making, steam punk accessories, film photography and afternoon naps.
Thomas’ long, curly white hair, kept in place under a black derby hat, falls halfway down his back and blends with his long white beard, grazing the top of his striped Big Mac overalls.
Always excited to talk about his creations and ideas, he throws open his garage door, revealing a studio bursting with pieces and parts of salvaged toys, vintage decorations and odd materials: a pile of steel rods, large plastic monkey string lights, a Goodyear blimp overhead, a gear-making machine.
“There’s a Mickey,” he says, pointing to an eyes-Xed-out Mickey doll caught in a mouse trap — part of his Project Mickey initiative. The pieces end up scattered throughout the region. A recent addition to the series, “Give Me That Old Time Religion,” crucifies a small rubber Mickey on a forgotten plastic cross. Little nails bind his feet and white-gloved hands.
A similar project features little green army men glued to note cards that say, “All I wanted was help with college;” or, “I am fighting for Big Oil.”
Thomas keeps digging around his workspace, searching for odds and ends and memories and funny stories.
“Those Strohs signs were in my grandparents’ house on West Market Street,” he says, pointing out two signs hanging from the ceiling. Everywhere, baby doll heads and parts spill off of tables and out of drawers. He’s been making doll art for Child’s Play, a baby doll head-inspired art show he curated at Studio 2091 Mothersbaugh.
Irish folk songs that evolve into Irish punk and then back to moaning ballads fall from out-of-sight speakers tucked into Cosmic Werks’ organized chaos. The music barely drifts out the open door and into the Sullivans’ Cuyahoga Falls corner lot, scattered around which are random finds: an antique baby crib sometimes filled with flowers or unsettling baby dolls warding off creeps and thieves; and a salvaged spring elephant once loved at a playground somewhere.
Thomas’ (and his wife Patty’s) creations also dot the yard and hang from trees: solar-powered doll heads, thrifted bowling trophies and junkyard wind chimes. A rocket ship titled “Acme;” a smiling bowling ball ant with “Dick” engraved on his forehead; and a mulched bed of brightly-colored flowers crafted from car parts, bicycle fenders and shoe horns, flourishing happily in the sun.
“Our hobby is estate sales,” Patty says, roaming the yard, just as excited as her husband of 35 years. “Almost everything I own is somebody else’s.”
Thomas refers to these as “dead guy sales.”
“Picked that up at a dead guy sale,” he says, pointing out different items, like an antique freestanding mailbox painted green to match the green porch furniture, as well as the whole house painted green but for orange trim. Draped across each doorway are tattered prayer flags, softly blowing in the warm breeze of finally spring that seemed like it would never arrive.
Thomas, aka Tommy, Tom, the VW Bus Guy, or Rev. Tom grew up “between Northfield and Maple Heights.”
“I was the little Irish kid working at the pizza shop across from the race track when I was a kid — which was an interesting place,” he said.
Between day jobs, Thomas has always haunted the junkyard; his eyes always open for a life-altering great find to proudly display with the rest of his constantly-evolving collection.
He currently works as an inspector at Akron machine shop, Nemis Machine. For 17 years, he worked at Lockheed Martin in the former Goodyear zeppelin facility.
“These are all from Goodyear,” he says, holding up ashtrays picked up at monthly salvage sales the facility would host to liquidate its leftovers. They’re now destined to live out the rest of their lives as flowers, found petals, leaves and stems welded to them.
Thomas has always worked with machines. For 17 years before the Lockeed gig, he worked at Reuther Mold and Manufacturing in Cuyahoga Falls.
Here and there, he makes his friends and himself car parts. He also serves as a notary public, performs weddings and serves as Mayor of Front Street — a neighborhood ambassador program. The list is neverending: Thomas used to be a roller derby referee; serves as chair on the city’s board of zoning appeals; has successfully pulled off endless art schemes.
But he always comes back to repurposed assemblage art.
“What’s great about it is that you can see what it was in a previous life,” he says, hopping into one of his two Volkswagen busses — the one completely muraled with a hot air balloon, a silhouette of a girl flying a kite and a sunny landscape scene, Grateful Dead artifacts littered throughout. He characterizes his level of Deadhead dedication as “about normal,” rumbling through town, just a short distance to Studio 2091 Mothersbaugh, where he’s been an artist in residence for about five years.
Once inside, Thomas creeps around his space, showing off the gallery.
Everywhere are assemblage robots — Dottie, Giovanni and Gordon — and lamps. Discernable are materials like cake pans, utensils or the front of a Mac truck.
“I really thought that was gonna sell,” Thomas says, pointing out a Pope-themed condom machine, reassuring customers their prayers have been answered. Same goes for “Unprotected Scrabble,” linking together various venereal diseases.
He continues digging around, checking out submissions for Child’s Play.
Included in the show are his solar-powered doll head lights and a piece titled, “Rocket Baby,” as well as pieces by artists Nancy Cintron and Vince Packard.
Deana Johnson’s “Our Patron Saint of Instagram”— Saint Selena — comes complete with her own iPhone, corporate-sponsored prayer candles and hashtag – #patronsaintselena.
Rumbling back through town in the bus, the Werks comes into view.
Hanging to dry on a line are freshly-washed colorful T-shirts, so bright in the sun. Printed with different graphics, they mimic the prayer flags adorning the Sullivan’s home – a fun, welcoming place that refuses to be unnoticed. Just like Thomas.
“That got stolen a few times,” he says, pointing out a sign affixed to a tree that suggests or maybe demands passersby to, “Smile.”
Most of his art includes some type of commentary.
“I’m an Irishman; I never know when to shut up,” he figures.
NOTE: Child’s Play will be up throughout the month of May. Studio 2091 Mothersbaugh is located at 2091 Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls. For more information or gallery hours, visit the gallery’s Facebook page.
[Written by Nicole Hennessy]
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221