Tom Shafer | Also Known As: Thomas Shafer

Tom Radca is known for tile murals, large plates, and vessel forms. The tiles are cut from a block of clay, the plates and vessel forms are wheel-thrown. Radca uses unique glazing ...
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    Tom Radca is known for tile murals, large plates, and vessel forms. The tiles are cut from a block of clay, the plates and vessel forms are wheel-thrown. Radca uses unique glazing methods that he discovered by accident and developed over the years. The methods involve manipulating the glaze and its flow during the firing process. Radca fires his pieces in gas kilnintroducing combustible materials to the kiln environment near the end of the firing process; a process he calls, "Painting with Fire".

    Radca credits much of his success to his mentor, Norman Schulman, who helped him make the transition from producing small functional pottery to large decorative plates and vessel forms. In 1994, Radca was the first Western artist to exhibit his claywork in Thailand. After teaching workshops in Italy in 2016 Radca opened a school to teach ceramics at his Ranch in Ohio.

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    Apprenticeships & Residencies
    Primary Work Experience
    1965

    Potter

    Other

    Public Collections
    Bibliography

    Bonham, Roger D. “Thomas Shafer,” Ceramics Monthly, 17, no. 10 (December 1969).

    Bonham, Roger D. “Thomas Shafer Demonstrates Building a Jar,” Ceramics Monthly, 17, no. 10 (December 1969).

    Shafer, Tom, “Jepson Exhibition,” Ceramics Monthly, 30, no. 5 (May 1982).

    Shafer, Tom, “John Glick: The Plum Tree Pottery,” Ceramics Monthly, (September 1972).

    Shafer, Tom, “Ohio Potters,” The Studio Potter, 11, no. 1, (December 1982). Digital Issue: Woodfiring - Vol. 11 No. 1 | Studio Potter.

    Shafer, Thomas. Pottery Decorations. New York : Watson-Guptill, 1976.

    Shafer, Thomas. The professional Potter. New York : Watson-Guptill, 1978.

    Shafer, Tom, “Tyrone and Julie Larson,” Ceramics Monthly, (April 1971).

    CV or Resume

    Lange, Hanna

    Website(s)
    Tags (related topics)

    American Museum of Ceramic Art

    AMOCA

    Center for Craft

    CfC

    American Ceramic Society

    ACerS

    Citation: Lange, Hanna Tom Shafer, "The Marks Project."
    Last modified April 29, 2026. https://www.themarksproject.org/artists/tom-shafer

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