Tom Philabaum has had a long and varied career in the arts. Since the early eighties he has received MFA's in ceramics and glass, taught classes, exhibited nationally and in Mexico, Switzerland, Germany, and Iceland, and his work has been published many times.

Though he started out as a potter, he soon learned glassblowing, and even tried to combine the two mediums into one artform.  He now concentrates on glass and has created distinctive styles for which he is known. One of them, the "Reptilian" series illustrates his highly controlled glass work: paperweights, perfume bottles and bowls, that have circular markings like that of a reptile's skin. Exquisite jewel-tone colors and details are magnified by the reflection of pattern inside the glass.