Tom Quest
Omaha, NE

Tom Quest is a “Jack” of many arts and trades but has found the area where he is becoming a “Master” and that is the area of slab built clay. Pursuing art since he was a little boy his formal education has been at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, the University of Nebraska – Omaha and Bellevue University. He has also studied at Anderson Ranch, John Campbell Folk Art School and Arrowmont. Tom’s career in art has included wood sculpture, drawing, photography, bronze sculpture and kaleidoscopes. Interest in each one of these areas has faded after a time until he found his real artistic home in pottery. Tom’s other career pursuits have been in the construction and manufacturing trades. His carpentry and tool and die production particularly have led him to areas of experimentation in extruding and forming clay. An inventor with several patents, Tom always has a new idea floating around in his head. Currently, Tom is the Director of the Physical Plant at Duchesne Academy where he is often a guest artist in the art classrooms. Tom is always looking for opportunities to learn and develop new methods for his art. He frequently experiments with new processes for forming clay and formulas for glazes. The importance of blending the glaze, texture, and form together in the final piece is the main goal for all his work.
Tom has a unique “voice” with his pottery. As a slab builder he designs and builds complex wooden forms to support his work. While the clay is secure he can aggressively manipulate and texture the surface with wooden stamps made exclusively for each design. He then uses a technique of underglazes to enhance the texture. A final transparent glaze allows the blending of clay, underglazes, and the final surface to produce the unified look of a piece.