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Ian F. Thomas | Episode 232
Ian F. Thomas is an installation artist living in Slippery Rock, PA and works at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. Ian holds a BFA from Slippery Rock University and an MFA from Texas Tech University. Ian received additional training at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia, and The Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China.
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Are you happy with the choice you have made to be a teacher as opposed to a full-time maker?
Yes, I really like being in the classroom setting. I’m a fourth generation teacher from both sides of my family. It’s part of who I am. Even when I was young I always wanted to show everyone, Look what I learned to do. I really love it. I have times of course, where I would love to be just a studio practitioner, but at the same time I really love the classroom.
What trait from childhood do you wish you could re-capture?
I think the freedom. My son used to do these drawings where he just assigns squiggles identity. I gave him a four inch brush and a gallon of paint and he just went crazy instantaneously, no holding back. That freedom, that unboundness.
What is your favorite social media platform?
I like Instagram over some of the others.
As an academic,how important is sales to you?
I would like to sell more work, but I don’t need to sell to feed my kids. But I still want to be part of that aspect of the art-making. I definitely make pots every year to sell and some sculptural work I sell as well. I try to encourage my students to try and find a market for their aesthetic and what they are making.
What is your favorite four-legged animal?
I like cats. They don’t need me.
Book
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Contact
Instagram: @ian_f_thomas