hello world.

Chris Russell is a ceramicist working out of Seattle. He got an unusual start in the arts as an engineering undergrad tasked with teaching a robotic arm to paint. While fruitlessly trying to teach himself color theory so he could teach robots to mix paint, he started painting himself. A brief foray into art classes turned into a lifelong obsession with all the analog processes of art. He spent five years wandering from painting to photography to metalwork before landing in ceramics in 2016. He has since worked as a studio potter in Seattle-area community studios, with his ceramics training has come entirely from classes and studio time there.

Chris works primarily on the wheel in cone 6 stoneware, focused on functional objects: cups, jars, teapots, etc. The work is deeply rooted in traditions of craft, intent on elevating the objects we interact with day to day. He fires mostly in oxidation, taking advantage of atmospheric firings like soda when they are available. He is less interested in putting visuals on a piece than in the visuals of the piece itself: the form is the core of the decoration. Throwlines, groggy clay, facets, and coil appliqué are the bones of the work, finished with glazes that respond to them — colors that break over sharp edges, oxides that pool in recessed textures, surfaces that reward the hand as much as the eye. Recent pieces push this further, with sculptural coil appliqué built directly onto the surface.

Chris's work has appeared in multiple shows at his home studio of Pottery Northwest, including their Community Showcase (2021) and Itty Bitty Exhibition (2024), and in Goldvine Gallery's Bloom in the Blue (2026). His pots are available at Spark and Thread in Capitol Hill, Big Whale in North Seattle, and Goldvine at Pike Place.