Biography
Thomas R. McPhee is an award winning artist/sculptor, whose creations are sought after by an international clientele. One of the few sculptors to master gem carving as an art form, he is now designing gem-like creations using lead crystal glass.
From his home in British Columbia, Canada, Thomas McPhee transforms gem material into jewelry-sized intaglio and small sculptures renowned for their detail and proportion. McPhee discovered ancient gem engraving at the Victoria and Albert Museum and carved his first gemstone in 1976. In 1992, he carved a fist-sized emerald weighing 1,550 carats, probably the largest fine emerald ever sculpted. Though he works in several media, including paint, wood, acrylic resin, and bronze, his first love is gem carving, a love evident in the care and attention he gives his pieces.
McPhee's formal art training spanned eight years and included several years at the Kootenay School of Arts in Nelson, B. C. and the Vancouver College of Art in Vancouver, B.C. Thomas McPhee also received classical art training in Toronto and London.
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