Chris Alveshere

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. Forms, parts, and clay and glaze colors are curated to be strong and inventive with high contrast. 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 other than traditional dinner ware. I am making work for the countertop, and pots that allow for a vast range of function. Foremost is an intention to make pieces that have a sense of whimsy, humor, and color. Audacious, lively, and cheeky, pieces with attitude and intention.

The 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.

Chris Alveshere is an artist and educator currently living in Missoula, MT. He is a long-term resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula, where he maintains a studio practice and teaches community ceramics classes. Originally from North Dakota, Chris received his BA with an emphasis in Ceramics and BFA in Art Education from Minnesota State University Moorhead in Moorhead, MN and his MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in Alfred, NY. Before pursuing his graduate degree, Chris worked as a middle and high school art teacher for three years in Fargo, ND.