Tommy Zen

Tommy Zen lives and works in Montreal. He comes from generations of Venetian cabinet makers. Tommy began working as an apprentice at his father’s atelier at a very young age, learning traditional furniture making techniques, developing ornamental carving skills and acquiring a knowledge of wood finishing. Most importantly Tommy learnt the skills of applying metals: gold, silver, bronze and copper leaf on furniture.

At the age of sixteen, Tommy discovered a passion for clay, which inspired him to fuse the art of gilding on furniture to gilding on ceramics, thus continuing the family tradition in a new way. Setting himself on a course of apprenticeships, self-directed and course studies, he established himself as a leading ceramic artist in the province of Quebec. Tommy Zen is renouned for throwing extraordinarily large vessels, and has developed unique finishes and surface decoration techniques that make his work immediately recognizable.

Zen inherited perseverance from his French Canadian mother, which continues to lead him to explore new horizons without limits.

It takes one to four months to execute a piece, because the numerous stages demand an immaculate attention to detail and every stage reflects the mastery of Tommy Zen’s ceramics. Hailing from the Canadian capital of pottery, Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Tommy Giovanni Zen is proud to present Quebec artistry in collections around the world.