Project 100 is thrilled to present Thomas Baker for our inaugural exhibition. Lite cracks gleaming bricks is a continued look into motion, standards, and things that shouldn’t.  

Thomas is nationally known for his work with clay, with his creations often being a dialogue between the tactile and the transcendent—where the interplay of impact and gravity reveals the poetry in imperfection. After spending some time training under Seppo Iida Sensei in Kanazawa, Japan, Thomas's work embodies the meticulous precision of traditional Japanese forms and techniques. Yet, somewhere sitting slumped on the edge of function and failure, he seeks to capture tension through the organic shapes born from impact. By embracing techniques that involve throwing, pushing, and dropping, he allows movement itself to shape the clay, striving to strip away the presence of the maker's hand. The result is a raw exposure of force and motion, amplifying the softness of the clay, seemingly mid-motion.

Thomas is also the co-founder of ceramic studio Kiln where he currently tutors and practices, and is a creative director for Nelson Clay Week

“Somewhere wobbling on the edge of function and failure, I search for tension in my work. Working within traditional pottery forms and techniques, pushing these familiar relationships into unfamiliar states. This is often found through the capturing of movement. By using techniques where force is involved, I rely on the action of throwing, pushing and dropping to achieve the organic shapes caused by impact. Removing as much of my makers hand as possible through the process of in-forming, means the force of movement itself becomes clear.  Amplifying the softness of the clay, seemingly mid-movement.”