Brad Tucker

Brad Tucker: Artist’s Statement

For the past 28 years or so, I have made pots that were inspired by traditional wares of North Carolina and Great Britain. The shapes were always simple and sturdy and my goal was to create pots that were both graceful and useful. Surface decoration was not part of my pottery vocabulary early on, but as the work developed and my confidence and skill grew, so did my desire to find and create imagery that would enhance the surface and not detract from the form. I began with simple patterns using a grid and I improvised designs based on the shape of the piece I was decorating. The symmetry of the patterns I created gradually loosened and became the floral imagery I use today. The flowers are drawn directly on the glazed surface with a variety of sharp, hard sculpting tools.

Several years ago I started working on applying figures to my bowls and platters. Initially, I made appliques from a contrasting colored clay body and pressed them into the surface of the pieces. This time, I used stencils I made from photos I had taken and re-sized as well as photos taken from fashion magazines, newspapers, and other sources. In this way, I was able to arrange the images to create a narrative and more carefully control the composition using glazes and slips.

The standard surface treatment for much of my work is an intricate and complex layering of glazes and slips. The primary glazes used are composed mostly of ashes from the fireplace. These ash glazes produce the runny, veined texture I find so compatible with the forms I make. The pots I made for this show are layered with as many as 5 or 6 different slips and glazes to produce the color and texture I am looking for. All of the work is fired in a gas car kiln in a reducing atmosphere.

About Brad Tucker

Brad Tucker is well known to North Carolina collectors as the owner of Brad Tucker Pottery in Creedmoor, North Carolina, which he founded in 1982. A graduate of Barton College, apprenticed with Sid and Pat Oakley, beginning his long association with Cedar Creek Gallery. Tucker blends traditional influences with contemporary sensibilities to produce graceful, sturdy pots of lasting beauty and utility. All his work may be used in the home and includes a wide range of items for cooking, serving or display.

Tucker’s work has been featured in a number of books and magazines, and he has exhibited widely in North Carolina and around the country. His work can be seen in several permanent collections, including the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, California; the North Carolina Museum of History, the North Carolina Pottery Center, and the NCSU Gallery of Art and Design. He is a member of Carolina Designer Craftsmen, Piedmont Craftsmen and the American Craft Council.