About the Artist:

Thomas Harth Ames

Thomas Harth Ames is a completely self-taught sculptor who creates images in gemstones, glass, lead crystal, and other transparent media. His works are primarily reverse internal sculptures created by hollowing out an image to be viewed from the opposite side. They are true three dimensional sculptures of extreme detail and contoured depth – not simple surface etchings. His works are all completely handmade and he has developed his own methods of deep cutting, thereby producing works that are often technical achievements as well as works of art.

He has created hundreds of commissioned pieces for individuals and companies, including the 30 year service awards for Channel 9 KUSA of Denver, the 1989 staff awards for the Solar Energy Research Institute, the Humanitarian Awards for the Denver Indian Center, the Starburst Awards for the Colorado Lottery, and the staff awards for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Ames has also been commissioned to produce pieces for such notable entities as Chatham Created Gems Co. and the Lizzardro Museum of Lapidary Art.

Several newspaper and magazine publications have devoted articles toward the creative and technical skills of Thomas Ames: Professional Stained Glass Magazine (Feb ’89), Glass Art Magazine (Jan-Feb ’94), Jeweler’s Circular Keystone (JCK) Magazine (Aug ’93, Apr ’96, Sep ’98), Lapidary Journal (Oct ’93, Cover and Article Feb ’95, Feb ’97, Jan ’98, Feb ’98, May ’98, Oct ’98), Modern Jeweler Magazine (Sp ’98), and Professional Jeweler Magazine (Oct ’98).

Ames has won the prestigious American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) Cutting Edge Competition, winning First Place in the Objects of Art category in 1999, First Place in the Objects of Art category and Best of Show in 1998, and Third Place in Objects of Art in 1996. He has won dozens of First and Second Place Positions, along with several “Best of” ribbons in various glass and sculpture shows. He has been the featured artist at many one-man shows and one of the invited artists at recurring national and international fine art shows and sculpture exhibits. His works are part of an on-going gemstone art exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Ames currently focuses most of his attention on sculpting and carving into precious and semi-precious gemstones and seldom works in glass or lead crystal unless commissioned to do so.