Carbondale was a hugely important time for me. I came to grad school from Scotland and the change of country and culture threw me for the first couple of years. My work hadn’t gone over so well in undergrad and my confidence was pretty low. I had no clue what I wanted to make. My way of dealing with all that was to play too much pool and work my way through an awful lot of $5 pitchers of beer at the Flyway.  At the same time, there was a great energy at the foundry. Tom’s work ethic and his sculpture were inspirational. I couldn’t quite make metal work for me at the time, but I did love casting, especially those early morning pours in the summer. The temps and humidity were ridiculous so I got a 10-foot wading-pool and the pour crew would jump in to cool off.  Until the day we realized that the specks of dirt in the bottom were actually moving and were in fact deer ticks. That was the end of the pool.

Tom was patient with me - at least he only kicked my butt once or twice - and in his quiet way let me know he thought I could do this sculpture thing. With the space he gave me, I eventually figured it out. Tom also believed in me enough to put a word in for me for my first teaching job and the lessons I learned from Tom I still pass on to my students. Stuck? Get in the studio. Anxious? Get in the studio. Don’t like your last piece? Get in the studio. It isn’t complicated. Trust yourself. Also - deal with it.

Thanks for everything,  Tom.