Tom Rippon, Thomas Rippon

Biography to Display:

1954 Born Sacramento, California

2010 Died Sacramento, California

EDUCATION

1971-1974 University of California, Davis, California

1979 MFA Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

APPRENTICESHIPS AND RESIDENCIES

1976 Artist-in-Residence, John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1988-2008 Ceramic Artist

1989-2010 Chair and Professor of Art, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana

Tom Rippon is known for porcelain, hand-built and assembled, small-scale sculptures.

The sculptures are pared-down compositions often using a tear drop, squiggle and cone motif to make abstractions based on the human body. Rippon’s stylized sculptures clearly reference Surrealism, Minimalism, and Expressionism.

An early experience as the baby sitter for Robert Arneson’s sons began a long friendship. Arneson brought him to study with him at the University of California at Davis, although Rippon did not earn a degree there. An aunt, Ruth Rippon, was instrumental in leading Tom Rippon to a career in ceramics.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Public Collections to Display:

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, Montana

Montana Museum of Art and Culture, Missoula, Montana

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC

Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, Montana

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography to Display:

Lauria, Jo. Color and Fire, Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics, 1950-2000. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2000.

Levin, Elaine. The History of American Ceramics from Pipkins and Bean Pots to Contemporary Forms, 1607 to the Present. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, 1988.

Lynn, Martha Drexler. American Studio Ceramics: Innovation and Identity, 1940-1979. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2015.

Petersen, Susan. Contemporary Ceramics, New York, NY: Watson-Guptill, 2000.

Taragin, Davira S. Contemporary Crafts and the Saxe Collection. Manchester, VT: Hudson Hills Press, 1993.

Typical Marks