Bruce received a BFA from Eastern Washington University with the help of the GI Bill. In 2002 he received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and then moved to Brooklyn New York to accept a position as the production manager for ceramic designer Christopher Spitzmiller Inc located in Midtown Manhattan. Bruce has experience working for The Margo Leavin Gallery in West Hollywood and the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, CA as well as experience working for the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane. Bruce currently lives in Tacoma Wa and operates a studio under the name of B Thompson Studio. He currently teaches ceramics courses at The Evergreen State College in addition to teaching art courses for SPSCC.
I think of myself primarily as a maker. I teach others not just how to make images and objects but also how to build a lifelong practice of making. Making art helps me to become more aware of my surroundings and invested in the physical properties of the materials I use. My art practice is part of my daily life and gives me purpose and motivation. I love the decorative arts because they have helped me to see art as a way to beautify our homes, share with others and build community. The value of artmaking is hard to quantify but I can see its value immediately in the smiles on the faces of my students.
“To progress in life, you must give up the things you do not like. Give up doing the things that you do not like to do. You must find the things that you do like.” Agnes Martin
Urban Promise | Linoleum reduction print with ceramic frame, 2023 | 10” x 13”
Pig | Wheel demonstration assemblage | Reduction fired Shino on stoneware, 2013 | 4” x 4.5” x 5.75”
Lamp | Stoneware thrown and altered in floating blue and wood ash with walnut base and spindle and handmade linen shade, 2023 | Lamp: 8” x 8” x 29.25” | Shade: 14.25” dia x 9.5”