After completing 7 years of undergraduate and graduate
study in Fine Art, Thomas Kite earned his final degree in Printmaking. However, he
had become more involved in applying a Printmaking process to working glass so that the major works of his Graduate
Thesis Exhibition were sculptural- employing large
acid-etched glass
panels. This lead to opening a studio/gallery in New England.
Over the next 15 years, he immersed himself in mastering
various glass cold
working techniques and then in combining glass and other media such as stone
and metal into more three dimensional expression.
During this time, he created hundreds of works, completed numerous private and commercial
commissions, and was represented for several years by Hobe Sound
Galleries North, then part of Midtown Payson Galleries in New York.
For most of these years, the Art Glass Movement in the United
States was yet to take hold, so Thomas acquired skill on his own, building
glass engraving equipment, and perfecting techniques through trial
and error.
"In the 70's and 80's, I built various stone wheel glass
engraving lathes which lead to setting up a rig for
brilliant
cutting large glass panels. At one point, I pursued a goal of
recreating the Victorian style cut glass architectural panels popular in the 1800's. I wanted to take it farther, but became more interested
in the rich possibilities of working
glass with other media.
In the late '80s, opportunities lead
me away from Fine Art into computer software. Not too long ago, it
became clear it was time to get back to analog making." -TK
In 2004, Thomas created Thos. Kite Design, Inc. to pick up where
he left off over 15 years before.
"It's taken a few years to get up and running, mainly because
setting
up a studio takes a great deal of time- finding the right
equipment and making it work. Then we had to
move where we could build a larger studio. Also, there was the mental
transition from computers back to Art, the brush up on old skills,
and acquiring new ones like casting.
The new goal I set for myself was to forget everything I thought I
knew. Before, there wasn't
much hot glass work which has already changed.
Before, many of the experimental pieces were smaller, but the new focus
is on exploring
a larger scale. A scale grown by time.
A rigger once told me that the best knot is one that is both very
strong and still unties easily after being under great stress. It
won't let go until it's time to untie it. And so all the sidetracks
with occasional setbacks shape us to be like better knots. At least
for me, past difficulty seems to have informed the objects I make in
mostly positive ways- some of which only become evident over time
and with letting go.
Now it's about being
transparent to the Art making- something I didn't fully understand
20 years ago. " -TK
Thomas Kite is currently exploring art glass, sculpture, kinetic
work, & computer assisted Art. Other than his studio near Seattle Washington, this Web site is the
best place to track future directions or
contact Thomas.
Recent study :
School of Glasswork Abate Zanetti, Murano, Italy-
Lampworking Solid Forms/Sculpture
Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, Washington, USA-
Advanced Cold Working
Hotshop Glass Casting
Advanced Fusing
Previous Academic study :
SUNYA, Albany, New York, USA-
MA Printmaking
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada-
BFA Printmaking
Association Memberships :
Artist Trust, Washington
State
Glass Art Society (GAS)
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