Harkening back to late modernist abstraction, they bring the organic into the monumental, but instead of being a self-referential sculptural object, they are intended to be environments in themselves interacting with the surrounding spaces”.

“The use of found objects, Tobin’s second major concern, is easily identifiable in his “shelter” pieces: matzoh bread, individually bronzed; Korean War–era tank windows; glass magic lantern slides.

[7] His approach evolved during years of teaching and exhibiting internationally, including in the USA, Italy, Finland, Belgium, Korea, Japan, and China,[8][5] and adopting art philosophies such as wabi-sabi.

[8] He first became known for a series of tall (five to fifteen feet) blown-glass Cocoons started in 1984 at Creative Glass Center of America (WheatonArts) in Wheaton, New Jersey, which were shown widely.

Tobin calls the mounds a form of natural architecture--insects make the blueprints, and the resulting structures serve as shelters just as human-made buildings do”.

In 2001, Warmus wrote that “Tobin’s most significant body of work is the Earth Bronze Trilogy, consisting of the Forest Floor pieces, Termite Hills, and the exposed Roots.

Like a set of three connected novels, each explores a different aspect of the ground under our feet.” [5] His casting approach was termed "alchemy" by Hoban: “Tobin isn’t simply emulating or copying nature: through the alchemy of his sophisticated casting process, which uses high temperatures and a specially fortified ceramic mold, he has actually turned the patch of earth into bronze […] in the extraordinary Forest Floor pieces” (2009: p.

[8] In 2002, the Page Museum in Los Angeles gave an exhibition of his work titled "Tobin's Naked Earth: Nature as Sculpture", beside the La Brea Tar Pits.

[13] The Trinity Root sculpture was highlighted by Chief Curator Ramirez as “striking not only for its ambitious scale and engineering virtuosity but also because of the tree’s presentation as something other than terrestrial branches, foliage, and woody surfaces.

The choice provokes questions that seem to transcend the tree’s predicament, inviting reflection on the source of civilization’s endurance and weaknesses; of humankind’s capacity for cooperation and goodwill as well as for inflicting pain and injustices on one another.”[14] During the 2000s Tobin also developed the Exploded Earth series made by exploding small charges in blocks of clay and then firing the results,[15] and showed conceptual paintings made with found materials at OK Harris.

His Aerial Roots were featured in an outdoor installation covering seven acres at "Grounds for Sculpture", 2012 [17] curated by State of the Arts New Jersey and presented in their video series.

Tobin’s artistic practice has activist aspects in terms of addressing natural phenomena as “powerful”,[5] involving collaboration with local people, getting inspiration from traditional art techniques, and striving for energy neutrality.

[4] The resulting cast bronze Termite Hill sculptures, when shown in Manhattan, were intended to evoke “a fresh sense of wonder, particularly given their juxtaposition with one of the best-known skylines in the world and their multicultural connotation.”[5] In 2024, his exhibition "Earth to Sky" on Maui supported the charitable organization Imua Family Services with proceeds directly contributing to improve resources to children with challenges.