Thomas Perry
As a potter, I concentrate on vessel forms. I am attracted to the co-themes of their use as containers and servers for food and beverage and their metaphoric meaning as containers and servers of space and spirit. I am awed and inspired by the myriad forms that a variety of cultures and often unknown artists have created throughout human history for everyday use and ritual functions. I strive to pay homage to this rich history through my own work processes and personal interpretations to create ceramic objects that are interesting today. I want to create vessels -- whether teapot and cups, sangria pitcher and goblets, serving bowls, or vases -- that through their use and presence add spirit and pleasure to one’s life. Occasionally, I will emphasize form more than function such that the resulting vessels are less intended for use than for visual pleasure, even though they still contain and pour.
- First Place, Amarillo Museum of Art Clay Bicentennial
- Represented in 500 Pitchers published by Lark Books
- Artist-in-Residence, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
- Co-founder and chair of Empty Bowls Houston, benefiting the Houston Food Bank.
- Co-founder and various positions, ClayHouston, regional ceramics guild.
- Docent and Secretary of the Board, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
- “Empty Bowls: Opportunities for Sustenance” published in Studio Potter magazine.
