Bio

James Tucker was born and raised in California, educated in Virginia, and currently works as an artist near Boston, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was trained as a sociologist, having received a PhD at the University of Virginia in 1992 and taught for almost thirty years (1991-2019) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH).  While at UNH, besides teaching, he conducted research and published books and journal articles on various topics related to conflict, mental illness, and suicide.  During his academic career, he traveled extensively in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and East Asia, among other parts of the world. 

Prior to the start of his painting career in 2019, he was involved in several other artistic endeavors during the preceding twenty years.  Most significant, he filmed, directed, and edited several short documentary films.  His low budget film The Nice Man Cometh (2004, 50 minutes), which offered a unique look at the 2004 Democratic Presidential Primary through the eyes of a formerly homeless man, played at several film festivals across the US.