Tom recently retired as the Coordinator and Lead faculty for the Art department on the Verde Valley Campus of Yavapai College. He now works from his private studio in Cottonwood AZ.
He has earned degrees in Fine Arts from Northern Kentucky University (BFA) and the Rhode Island School of Design (MFA).
At the Verde Valley Campus, Tom worked in many leadership positions including Campus Executive Dean, Division Assistant Dean and Dean of Instruction. He taught in many ART subject areas including Ceramics, Design, Jewelry, Photography, Digital Photography and Sculpture.
As an artist who works with clay the potters of Japan have always inspired me. The forms, shapes and attitudes of their pieces were closely tied to the Zen philosophy, which emphasizes the beauty of the simple and natural. Clay is certainly a simple material but when combined with a nature-inspired phenomenon like fire, wondrous things transpire. I love the tactile and plastic qualities of the clay as they allow me to create my simple yet bold ceramic forms.
