Unexpected Art from an Unexpected Artist

Contributed by Brock Burnette, Dakotya Douglas and Jubilee Melton

The humming of a wheel spinning, the pounding thud of a slab of fresh clay against a round “bat”, and the splatter of a spinning wet creation. These are all noises Chris Lively hears every day. For twelve years, this young potter has been developing and perfecting his own pottery company in Radford, Virginia. As a member of Round the Mountain, the Southwest Virginia Artisan Network, he has his own unique style of creating his craft.

In his younger years at East Montgomery High School, he enjoyed working with clay and 3-D art. After graduating he enrolled at Radford University, in Radford, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in ceramic art.

While attending college he got a job working in a ceramics studio. That ceramics studio was home to a gas fired kiln (although he prefers electric kilns) that inspired his creative design. He applies glaze to his art by spray glazing rather than the traditional way of dipping or applying it with a brush. This gives it a unique design and appearance. His work is heavily influenced by the area he and his wife (who is also his business partner) live and work in. His runny, light and dark blue glazes are influenced by local waterfalls and creeks.

Chris went back to Radford and obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics. In college, he aspired to become a teacher of the arts.  In addition to his business, Chris currently teaches a sculpting class at Radford University.

His wife, Jordan, is in charge of determining the quality of the product, at what price to sell it, and how and where to sell his pieces. The quality of his work is considered very high due to the fine porcelain clay he uses and his own formula of glazes.

Currently, his studio is at the YMCA in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he also teaches classes on how to throw clay and form pottery on the wheel. He sells most of his pottery at street fairs or at craft shows. Some of his best works are shipped and displayed at national art shows and contests, many of which either win or place highly. His work can be seen at Heartwood, Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway in Abingdon, Virginia. His craft can also be found on his website www.chrislivelyceramics.com.

His art is as unexpected to him as it is to his buyers.  As Chris Lively said “To put it simply, the art is in the unexpected.”

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