CHRIS HEEDE

Ceramics

  • I'm a late baby-boomer born in Fort Collins, Colorado. At the age of eight my family moved to Greece for two years. During that time I visited many ruins and museums throughout Greece, Italy, and Germany. This exposure led to many of my ideas and had a direct and profound influence on my work.

    Early on, I found myself working with my hands creating interesting things. While in high school I participated in several art programs and found my calling. It was during that time I took a ceramic course and immediately fell in love with clay. Following high school I attended Arizona State University graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Ceramics

    While exhibiting in an art show in Cave Creek, Arizona, I decided I wanted to live in the desert, with its incredible sunsets, fierce monsoon storms, and abundant wildlife. I hired local architect William Bruder to design a studio in 1983, and spent the next year building it myself. While the construction took place, I lived on the grounds in a teepee, with my dog and the coyotes for company. The experience of teepee life and building a structure with only basic construction skills was scary yet awesome and exciting. It was another transformational phase of my life in which I grew stronger emotionally and creatively.

    Throughout the years, I have continually looked for ways to develop new and interesting ideas. Early on, my work consisted mainly of using a propane and wood combination kiln to fire bowls and platters. I later began experimenting and refining the process to produce beautiful vessels using the ancient raku Japanese firing method. I then branched out into commission work consisting of decorative sculptures, tile murals, fountains, and sandblasted glass. For the past several years, I have had the pleasure of working with clients and custom builders producing unique and dramatic architectural pieces such as bathroom sinks, kitchen countertops, ceramic columns, floor tiles, and sandblasted and painted mirrors.

    Working in and being surrounded by nature is what nurtures and inspires my work. In creating ceramics, or in life itself, the dichotomy of simplicity and complexity constantly inspires and challenges. My work embraces and embodies this theme. From the raku process, to a woodfire technique, to sculpture, to architectural pieces, I strive to maintain integrity in my work and make it a beautiful and timeless expression of my life and my vision.

  • Coming soon.

  • Coming soon.

Chris Heede Gallery

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David Knorr