Past Residentback to past residents |
Tom Jaszczak, 2013–2014 Lincoln Fellow, 2014–2015 Lillstreet Art Center Fellow
Tom received a BA in visual art in 2008 and a BS in biology in 2007 from Bemidji State University in Minnesota. After graduating, he spent a year as an apprentice at Mill Creek Pottery with Simon Levin in Gresham, Wisconsin where he learned the process of wood firing and developed his work. Tom has been an artist in residence at the Cub Creek Foundation in Virginia as well as The Amory Art Center in Florida. He grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was the recipient of a Jerome Project Grant through the Northern Clay Center and received a Minnesota Arts Board grant. After his short-term residencies at the Bray in 2011 and 2012, Tom returned as the 2013–2014 Lincoln Fellow and 2014–2015 Lillstreet Art Center Fellow. “I want my work to be pared down to the essentials and be truly useful. The cumulative journey of a pot tells a story and the story brings the user into the moment of making and firing. Slips, trimming lines, finger marks, edges, wad marks and shadows capture a moment in time and tell more of the story. I want my pots to be grounded in form and have an identity as a material…A successful pot has depth through these processes, obtains humbleness through form and thoughtfulness in function.”To see more work of Tom's visit his website at tomjaszczak.com. |
Tom Jaszczak’s work is strongly rooted in two sources–the traditional Minnesota pottery that he grew up admiring and the Mingei folk-art philosophy advocating the “hand-crafted art of ordinary people.” A short-term resident at the Bray during 2011 and 2012, Tom returned for a long-term residency in 2013 to focus on developing new decorative techniques and glaze and slip recipes.
|
|
 Storage Jar, 2013 wood soda fired red earthenware, cone 3, slip 13" x 7" x 7" |
 Long Tray with Handles, 2013 wood soda fired red earthenware, cone 3 3" x 16" x 9" |
