Lissa

owner and studio creator

Lately, Lissa has been obsessed with throwing orchid pots for her horticulturalist family and friends, and she’s super excited and a bit anxious to tell everyone that her latest creations have been accepted into a gallery for the spring. Lissa’s dear mother was an artist, and taught her children to draw and paint before they knew how to walk; when JoLou sent Lissa’s painting of a school bus to a children’s art contest, it won Lissa a series of classes at a local art center; and of course, she chose pottery. That was at age 12, and she’s been throwing ever since. Today, she teaches beginning through advanced wheel at Fire and Sky, the studio she opened in December of 2022.  Lissa also teaches writing at university, has three grown children who are forces to be reckoned with, is a beekeeper, kombucha maker, gardener, writer, and loves going to the movies and coffee more than she’s capable of saying. She’s looking forward to welcoming you into what we know will become your home away from home! 

Sarah

studio co-director and instructor

Sarah fell in love with pottery while studying studio art as an undergrad at Virginia Tech. She came to us four years ago from the Cultural Arts Center in Glen Allen where she spent over ten years learning from Jane Fancher Hendley (a well-known artist in Richmond, VA). Sarah loves to carve her pieces and especially enjoys throwing little magical pumpkins. She firmly believes that nothing compares to drinking coffee out a mug she made herself. She is always creating art; from mosaics and paintings to drawings and knit baby blankets. When she isn’t working full time at Virginia Tech or in the studio, she can be found outside hiking or canoeing on the river with friends. Some of the best people in Sarah’s life have come from the pottery studio, and she looks forward to all the new friendships that will be formed here at Fire and Sky!

Christy

hand-building and small sculpture instructor

Though originally from Maryland, Christy spent five years studying ecology in Scotland (with some other odd-job experiences in between, like trapping Bald Eagles and the Peace Corps) before landing in Virginia at her cabin in the woods, lovingly called the Fox Den. Inspired by her past life as a biologist, she especially enjoys handbuilding songbirds and other animals. Working with clay has gently taught Christy the delight of slow progress and allowing yourself to be a beginner. Because of this outlook, she explores the full range of ceramics techniques, like sgraffito and figurative sculpture. Christy joined Fire and Sky in 2023, and now teaches one-night handbuilding classes, where students make botanical mugs, songbirds, and forest creatures. When she’s not at the studio or working at Virginia Tech, she’s probably reading (she recommends Welcome to Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum and The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune), watching films (her four favorites on Letterboxd are Howl’s Moving Castle, Clueless, The Princess Bride, and The Florida Project), or playing with art supplies. Her ceramics life lessons have expanded into her time outside the studio; currently she is teaching herself linocut printmaking. Her Dad is very excited to finally have an artist in the family, and she hopes to help you find (or find again!) the joy of beginnings!

Skutt

our studio cat and mascot

Skutt came into our lives in the most unexpected way—emerging from a drainage pipe near the studio a few years ago. From day one, she captured our hearts with her sweet personality and gentle presence. She’s been our unofficial greeter, pottery inspector, and emotional support supervisor ever since.

Now living the good life at Lissa’s house, Skutt enjoys snuggles, sunbeams, and the garden. Though she’s no longer at the studio every day, she remains our beloved mascot and a symbol of the creativity, warmth, and unexpected joy we celebrate in our studio community