Thaddeus Mosley (born 1926 in Pennsylvania) is a sculptor known for his wooden works. He collects, seasons and stores fallen tree trunks. His sculptures are built from hand-carved pieces of wood, such as walnut, basswood, and hickory and often highlight natural features like knots and grain variations. He refers to his pieces as "sculptural improvisations," drawing inspiration from modernist traditions of jazz music. As he explains, “The only way you can really achieve something is if you’re not working so much from a pattern. That’s also the essence of good jazz.”
Based in Pittsburgh, Mosley began carving wood in his late twenties, not out of a desire for a career, but simply because it brought him joy. While creating these wooden pieces, Moseley worked in the U.S. Postal Service for 40 years. Although he has been creating these works for over 7 decades, in 2019, he officially became represented by Karma Gallery, where Mosley has gained broader recognition.
In 2025, a solo exhibition called Touching the Earth was organized by the Public Art Fund. Mosley’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Nasher Sculpture Center (2023) and the Baltimore Museum of Art (2021), as well as group shows at venues like Bergen Kunsthall, Harvard Business School, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. His sculptures are held in major collections including the Guggenheim, Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among others.