The work of South Australian glass artist Tom Moore has been heavily influenced by a mentorship with internationally renowned Japanese glass artist Yoshihiko Takahashi, as part of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Japan/South Australia Award. Tom realised a consolidation of his own interests and glass making skills while studying under Mr Takahashi. He found that he dramatically reassessed his motives for and methods of making glass, gaining a clearer understanding of what he wants to achieve in his work. Whilst still creating fresh and quirky anamorphic pieces in blown glass that embody a witty spontaneity, Tom also incorporates influences of traditional Japanese culture sourced from ancient myth and manga. Presenting an attitude of agreeable mischief, he has further developed his recent hybrid creatures. “I am trying to make humorous glass. Sometimes I try really hard to make something look fresh and spontaneous. I'm after a weird kind of amalgam of good and bad technique; plainness and over decoration, hopelessness and joy. I like nutty proportions and wobbly lines.” Tom plays with arrangements of characters to create narratives with an emphasis on the absurd.

Born in Canberra, Tom began his formal education in glass at the Canberra School of Art, completing a Bachelor of Arts (Visual) in 1994. He then travelled to South Australia to further his training and completed a two year traineeship at the Jam Factory. Since then, Tom has worked with several other prominent Australian glass artists including Nick Mount, Jane Bruce and Ben Edols and Kathy Elliott. His work is in the collections of the Australian National University, National Art Glass Collection (Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery) and the Museum of American Glass, New Jersey, USA.