These pieces came about while I was at work, putting together sets for a feature film. I collected appealing bits of wood left over near the chop saw. I glued pieces together into logical clumps, then mounted them in dramatic positions that mimicked tiny Brutalist monuments. I originally imagined them as maquettes for public sculptures to be fabricated in steel or concrete, as center pieces for a city square or park. Then they became little experiments in shape and pattern. Then they became projects, and then toys. I have found them equally interesting and fun. - Ted Altman, November 2025 Pictured - Ted Altman: Eight Step Ladder Version 2 Paper sculpture 6" x 4" x 3" 2025   

Ted Altman's first real job was building a 2/3 scale 210 foot mock-up of a Navy warship as a training environment for naval recruits, an unlikely introduction to a career spent creating artificial worlds. He went on to work as a scenic sculptor for scenic shops, theming contractors, and a zoo exhibit contractor, where sculpting Nature in concrete taught him to appreciate the beautiful accidental abstraction of rocks and geology. He has also built props and decorated sets for film and television, always driven by a love of making things: Working with his hands, arranging elements, and giving form to imagination.    Pictured: Ted Altman - The Luyster Creek Scarecrow Painted wood 9" x 7 1/2"  2025