Originally from California, Thomas Barter is an Auckland-based artist whose practice has evolved across ceramics, public art and, most recently, cast glass.

After graduating with a BFA from CSU Humboldt in 1988, Thomas began a career in professional ceramics, creating large-scale public artworks, murals, facades, sculptures and architectural installations throughout California. His work includes commissions for the City of Sacramento, the Municipal Water District of Southern California at Union Station in Los Angeles, and the City of Long Beach. In 2003, Thomas relocated to New Zealand, where he continued to create and install public artworks throughout Auckland.

A pivotal shift in his practice came in 2010, when Thomas undertook a class in glass casting. Drawing on decades of experience in ceramics and mould-making, he quickly embraced the possibilities of lost-wax casting and began translating the qualities of his ceramic work into glass. Today, cast glass is his primary medium.

Thomas’ sculptures explore the tension between fragility and permanence, often drawing inspiration from origami and the geometry of folded paper. His latest works push this language further, incorporating repeated Art Deco-inspired cast glass elements into larger sculptural forms. Light, structure and craftsmanship are central to his practice, resulting in works that feel both architectural and remarkably delicate.

Working from his Auckland studio, Thomas continues to develop new sculptural forms while drawing on a career spanning more than three decades and two countries.