Makers of Park City: Tom Caswell

Photo: Tom Caswell at work

Tom Caswell is a talented potter who’s been perfecting his work over the last 18 years. A multi-talented artist whose part creative part chemist, Tom once made his living as a photographer in the days of film. After graduating with his fine arts degree, Tom’s first job was processing prints in a commercial lab, just nine credits shy of earning a second major in ceramics. Now that he’s retired, Tom has returned to his first love.

With his crystalline glazes Tom has experimented over the many years, keeping meticulous records. He has created his current glazes from tested recipes he perfected over time. From ingredients, to the density of the application, to the firing schedule, all of Tom’s pieces are a product of his own design and Tom achieves the different colors in his work by using different minerals. This means that his glazes may not be food-safe, but they are dishwasher-safe and water-tight.

In college, Tom was introduced to raku. Raku is a much faster process than standard ceramics firing. Raku is fired at lower temperatures and removed from the firing process when it is still hot. Instead of having to wait days to create a finished piece, Raku ware can be completed in a matter of hours. Many raku glazes include metal oxides, which create interesting colors, but are also generally not food safe. Tom Caswell is a true artist who loves to experiment with the processes he uses to create one-of-a-kind pieces. 

Tom has been teaching at the Kimball Art Center for the last few years. Last year he started selling his artwork in local shows. In October he participated in the Miners 9 art exhibition at the Miners Hospital, a new venue for local artists. You can see his artwork in December at the Arts Council of Park City and Summit County’s Holiday Pop-Up at BRAND PC at the Outlets at Park City. This is the Arts Council’s program for creative makers to connect ar337t and creativity to daily life and community priorities.