For most of us, seeing a toothpick conjures up thoughts of dental hygiene or hors d’oeuvres. Artist Steven J. Backman of San Francisco sees everything from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Empire State Building to Tiger Woods. In fact, he has created dozens of structures using only wooden toothpicks and glue, many of which have been exhibited in art galleries and landmarks in California and New York.
One of Backman’s most famous creations is a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge that is 13 feet long and consists of 30,000 toothpicks. This structure took two years to complete and is currently on display at the "Ripley’s Believe it or Not" museum in Hollywood, California. He has created replicas of landmarks, people and even other famous works of art, such as "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh and the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. Backman also creates abstract pieces from his imagination.
"I find toothpicks and glue to be the most challenging mediums to work with," explained Backman. "Individual toothpicks possess their own unique characteristics and stand out on their own. My challenge is to use all of these individual pieces to produce a single object that looks like it was created from a solid piece of wood. Although it would be much easier to carve intricate details into solid wood, individually gluing toothpicks together lends a unique look and wow factor when people see the finished structures up close."
Backman began using toothpicks to create art while attending San Francisco State University in the fall of 1984. His first structure was a San Francisco cable car built for an art course. He later created many more cable cars and other San Francisco landmarks and eventually established a business, "Landmarks of San Francisco," to sell his structures. He continues to operate that business today.
Throughout his career, Backman has used only Diamond® brand wooden toothpicks to create all of his structures.
For more information and photos, please visit https://www.toothpickart.com.
This article was last modified on January 4, 2023
This article was first published on April 3, 2007
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