I began my studies in art at Central Washington State College and graduated in 1967 with a Master of Arts in Art. Graduate school studies were continued at Washington State University and I finished with a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics with a minor in painting in 1970. A Masters of Art in Counseling was received in 1989 from New Mexico State University. I taught pottery and art at Wenatchee Valley College in Washington State and Southwest Texas State University in Texas. In addition to numerous one and two person shows my work has been exhibited in juried and invitational shows that include: Northwest Craftsmen U.S.A.; Sixth, Ninth, Tenth and Twelfth Annual Washington State Art Exhibitions; Permanent Collection - Folk Art Exchange to Hyogo, Japan; 1st Annual Craftsmen of Washington Invitational Exhibition; Juror: National Scholastic Awards - Eastern Washington Region; Juror: Southwest Texas State First Annual Art Show; Fifteenth Annual Texas Crafts Exhibit - Dallas Museum of Fine Arts; 'Cited for Excellence' First Texas State Arts and Crafts Fair 1972; Second Prize - WTCA National Crafts Exhibition Abilene Fine Arts Museum; New Mexico State Arts and Crafts Fair; The Southwest Arts and Crafts Festival; "2001 Bottled Spirits" at the Kentucky State Art and Craft Gallery; The "2001 Feed the Body, Feed the Soul" painting show in Hamilton, Ohio; "Pastels U.S.A."17th Annual International Open Exhibition. Sacramento Fine Arts Center, Sacramento, CA. - 2003; "Mesilla Valley 8th Regional Exhibition" Las Cruces, NM - 2003; Second Prize Pastel and Drawing division - "Fiesta of the Arts Regional Exhibit" Las Cruces, NM - 2005; Honorable Mention, Pastel Division, "Masterworks of New Mexico 2006". Albuquerque, NM - 2006
Probably the most significant influence in my development as a potter was the four year mentorship of Richard Fairbanks (see Richard Fairbanks, American Potter ISBN: 0-295-97302-1). Later,
encounters with Paul Soldner attracted me to the immediacy and beauty of raku pottery. Initially my interest in art was painting and the spontaneity added to the color achievable in raku seemed to have the painterly quality I was seeking. Early influences in painting came primarily from the work of Mark Rothko, Edgar DeGas and my instructors, Steve Bayless, Gaylen Hansen and Rob Sterling. Cultural influences, in addition to many fine artists I have met along the way, have primarily been the classical periods of China and Japan along with the Impressionists/Expressionists of Europe.
I presently live in Las Cruces, New Mexico with my wife Judy and our dogs Bonnie and Stella. Our cat's name is Ursa (Little Bear)
If you are interested in knowing the origin of the name, White Trout, click here. This link will take you to the special Tom Snyder poetry page. The trout is also my spirit animal.
