Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Bradley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
David, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I identify myself as a ceramic artist, but for many years at the beginning of my career, I was a “potter”. I made pots by the hundreds on the potter’s wheel because of a two year apprenticeship at the Marshall Pottery Company, in Marshall, Texas. Marshall Pottery was founded in 1890 to make stoneware crockery. Production of jars, jugs, churns, etc. was made using locally sourced clay, on foot powered wheels, and fired in wood burning kilns. Over the 20th century, as the market for handmade pottery contracted in the face of market encroachment by metal and glass containers, the company production shifted to the machine production of terra cotta flower pots. But the company kept the “hand-turned” pottery out of sentimental reasons, so in the 1970s, when I came along as a recent college graduate who just wanted to make pots, I found a place as a helper in the “turning room” at the pottery factory. I prepared the clay for one of the 10 potters working at wheels making hundreds of butter churns, milk pitchers, cuspidors, jugs, grease jars and strawberry jars. After practicing hard for nine months, I was promoted to apprentice potter and made the easiest item on the list: dog bowls. I made dog bowls everyday for a month, until I could make them with my eyes closed. Then I moved up the list, item by item, spending days on each one, until I could make them quickly and consistently. The average production by one potter was around 100-200 pots per day, using upwards of 2000 lbs of clay in one 8 hour shift. That repetitive practice and focused effort on each form gave me the skill to be able to make anything on the wheel I want to make.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As an artist, I make objects out of clay that are meant to be examples of beauty. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, as they say, but, the beauty I aspire to lies in the same aesthetic realm as an object found in nature. Rounded river rocks, trees, flowers, seeds, fruits and vegetables are the sources of inspiration for my works. I’m also inspired by birds, fish and insects, and I try to capture the forms and movements by a few quick strokes of a brush on the surface of the pottery forms. My works are made directly by my hands, and reflect my environment.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist I the opportunity to share with others an evolving perspective on our current moment of existence. My art is a reflection of my life on earth at this moment. I hope that my creations engage others, and provide stimulation and opportunities to reflect on their own existence at this moment. Artists have always done that, and those following learn about the past from those artists visions of their world. My reward is when another person engages with my work and learns something new.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
As a teacher of art, I have found that non-artists have many misconceptions about the artistic process, and what it means to be an artist. Most believe that artists are born, not made. I firmly believe that all humans have the capacity to be artists, if they were provided the right guidance at the right time. It’s never too late to become an artist, but the earlier one begins, the more time one has to practice and to develop skills in a medium or process, such as drawing, painting, sculpting or making pottery. I consider art making as requiring the same level of commitment of time and effort as do sports. Through repetitive practice, one acquires skills that allow that person to work at a high level with ease. This is what anyone can do who wishes to become an artist, find a teacher, apply themselves to learning the basics, and keep going when it gets hard. Overcoming obstacles is the key to success in any field, art included.
Contact Info:
- Website: davidbradleyart.com
- Instagram: @davlbradly