Brother Thomas Bezanson was born Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1929. He graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1950, and worked as a potter and advisor to the Nova Scotia Handicraft Centre. In 1959, he entered the Benedictine Order, and in 1968 he earned a Masters Degree in Philosophy from the University of Ottawa. He lived at the Weston Priory in Vermont until 1985, when he became the Artist-in-Residence at Mount Saint Benedict in Erie, PA.
Bezanson’s works are created of porcelain with basic glazes derived from copper and iron. His forms relate to both Japanese and Chinese traditions. His work is best known for it’s incredible control of the glazing and firing process — particularly for his work with reds, oranges and yellows. Brother Thomas’ works are attempts at perfections rooted in spirituality and reflect decades of experimentation and experience.
“Art is not the whole of the answer to the meaning of life, but it remains a part of it. It helps on the journey from preconscious looking to conscious seeing and perhaps, one day, to transconscious awarness when we will be a spirit-conscious race….”
Among the institutions that have collected his pottery are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LA County Museum, Chicago Art Institute, Carnegie Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Columbus Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Renwick Gallery of The Smithsoinian, Victoria and Albert Museum of Art, Windsor Castle, Vatican Museum, Tel Aviv Museum, etc.
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