Chris is a studio artist originally from North Dakota, currently living and working in Missoula, MT. He maintains a full-time studio practice in addition to teaching adult and youth arts programming. Chris received undergraduate degrees in ceramics and art education from Minnesota State University Moorhead, MN and his MFA in ceramics from Alfred University, NY. He is co-owner of Workroom Montana, a community arts center in Missoula, MT, and Flecks + Specks, a colored ceramic grog business.
My pots are an investigation of items I find curious, feel sentimental towards, or objects I find humor in. This investigation could come from the object’s surface, form, or most often from intriguing proportion or scale. Inflated swells, large knobs, and enamel-like sheens from sanded surfaces and glazes create exaggerated, vibrant pieces.
I visualize pots in everyday objects and places, seeing the potential of form and color in everything from vintage wooden toys, a pile of Skittles, or wandering thrift stores. This inspiration has steered me into making pots for the countertop, and pots that allow for a vast range of function. The compact size of my work allows an intimacy between vessel and user, and stems from my eternal love for cups. A love for cups that has led me to make other forms that are meant to be held, experienced, and appreciated from all angles.