BIOGRAPHY
Tom Anderson was born in 1951 in Salt Lake City, the son of a jazz musician. By the time
the family settled in Vancouver, Washington, Anderson’s formative years had been shaped
by syncopated rhythm and life on the road (36 states by the age of four). He earned an
Associate of Arts degree from Clark College in 1971. Part of his education included three
months of travel in Europe, where he studied firsthand the works of the great masters. In
the autumn of 1971, he enrolled at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
There, in addition to his Asian art and Philosophy studies, Anderson made some
meaningful contributions to the first few years of the experimental college’s development.
He initiated the use of the 16mm animation facilities, helped establish the FM Radio station
KAOS, co-created the four-story library mural and worked as an assistant graphic
designer, developing the College’s catalogs and visual identity. He graduated in 1973 with
a Bachelor of Arts degree.
That same year, Anderson co-founded Mansion Glass Studios in Olympia. This
collaboration won recognition locally and nationally for their design and fabrication of
Architectural Art Glass commissions, as well as for their restoration projects. Anderson
first attended the highly esteemed Pilchuck Glass School in 1986, as a teaching assistant
to Henry Halem. He returned in 1987, on a scholarship with Susan Stinsmuhlen-Amend,
and again in 1988 and 1989 as a teaching assistant in the advanced graduate program.
In 1990, Anderson established his own studio in Olympia. Since then he has continued his
work in painting, metal fabrication, mixed media constructions and printmaking. He is
represented by galleries in Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and California. In addition to
commissions, Anderson exhibits regularly and his work can be found in over 1600 public
and private collections including the Oregon Arts Commission, the Washington Arts
Commission the City of Olympia, Hewlett Packard, US Bank, Providence St. Peter Hospital.
About his work, Anderson comments:
I am usually not thinking so much about a finished work, but am inspired, accepting and
mystified by the process of creating it. What inspires me is the outcome of materials at
hand and their relationship to each other. Also, the willingness to be spontaneous and the
compulsion to make something that expresses my own life’s experience as well as reflect
to the viewer the dynamics and emotion of their own spirit. I choose materials that in
combination create a surface of texture, color and depth. Aluminum and copper are my
canvas. The use of various chemicals, enamels, pastels and anything that makes a mark
or adds atmosphere are my primary “tools of the trade.” The rest is trusting my intuition,
having faith in the possibilities and a knowingness of when to quit.
References: Stephanie Johnson/ Director Olympia Arts Commission 360-709-2678
sjohno1@ci.olympia.wa.us Kris Tucker/ Former Director Of The Washington State
Arts Commission 360-951-9715 ktandrg@comcast.net
Marissa Laubscher Project Cooridinator Washington State Arts Commission 360-259-0365
marissa.laubscher@arts.wa.gov
Webpage: www.thomasandersonart.com Email: artist402@comcast.net
SELECTED COMMISSIONS:
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Olympia, WA
Providence St. Peter Hospital Chapel, Olympia, WA
Providence St. Peter Hospital Emergency Center Reception, Olympia, WA
Pacific Cataract & Laser Institute, Tacoma, WA
Haines & Dolgash Oral Surgeons, Olympia, WA
Scott Windus Photography Studios, Beverly Hills, CA
Cheyenne Mountain Inn, Colorado Springs, CO
Heartwood Convalescent Center Chapel, Tacoma, WA
Evergreen Hospice Center Chapel, Evergreen Hospital, Kirkland, WA
Kaiser Permanente Hospital Chapel, Portland, OR
Park of the Seven Oars; City of Olympia, Art in Public Places Program, Olympia, WA
Worthington Conference Center, St. Martins College, Lacey, WA
Ramblin Jacks Restaurant, Olympia, WA
Harlequin Productions, State Theatre, Olympia, WA
Panorama City, Lacey, WA
Bates Technical College, Tacoma,WA % for Art Washington State Arts Commission
Olympia City Hall
Courtyard Mariott Hotel, Manhattan, NY, Denver, CO
Jonas Salk Middle School, Spokane WA % for Art Washington State Arts Commission
SELECTED COLLECTIONS:
Oregon State Arts Commission % for Art Oregon State University Valley Library
Sharp Laboratories Of America, Camas, WA
D.W. Fritz, Inc. Portland, OR
Summit Corp., Corvallis, OR
Morgan Park Properties, Portland, OR
Hewlett Packard Corp., Corvallis, OR
Bellevue Atheletic Club, Bellevue, WA
Yashiro City Hall, Yashiro, Japan
C.E. John Development Corp. Vancouver ,WA
Service Steel Corp., Portland, OR
Sparling Corp., Seattle, WA
Lutat & Battey, Campbell, CA
U.S. Army Energy Management Facility Lacey, WA
Price Waterhouse Coopers, Portland, OR
Kennedy Associates, Seattle, WA
Magnetek, Nashville, TN
Makati Quad, Phillipines
Thunder Mt. Middle School, Enumclaw, WA
Schnitzer Steel, Manhattan, NY
Marriott Hotel Warsaw, Poland
Governor Hotel, Olympia, WA
Seattle Public Utilities Collections
One Pacific Tower, Seattle, WA
City of Olympia, %for Art Purchase Westside Firestation, Olympia, WA
Delta Airlines, Sea-Tac International Airport
Oncomembrane, Inc, Seattle, WA
Kaiser Permanente, Portland, OR
Hyatt Hotel, Denver, CO
WA State Arts Commission, % for Art;
East Ridge Elementary School, Woodenville,WA
Bellingham Tech College, Bellingham, WA
Graham Elementary School, Graham, WA
WA State University, Vancouver,WA
U.S. Bank, Portland, OR
Tamarisk Country Club, Rancho CA Mirage, CA
Pavel Communications, Portland, OR
Geneva Design Group, Boston, MA
Information Builder Inc. Houston, TX
OBA Restaurant, Portland, OR
The Peerless Hotel, Ashland, OR
WA State University, Vancouver, WA
Olympia Orthopaedic Clinic, Olympia, WA
Bach Jazz Society, Half Moon Bay, CA
Twin Star Credit Union, Vancouver & Aberdeen WA
AWARDS:
Washington State Arts Commission Artist Resource Bank
1998-2011 -2015-18
Oregon Sate Arts Commission 2016-2019
