Lucas Neves is an illustrator and ceramicist born and raised in Texas.

After graduating from the Kansas City Art Institute with a BFA in ceramics, he immediately plunged into freelancing and exhibiting his work online and in galleries.

Luke's practice is rooted in his quest to better understand humanity by examining emotion and queer experience through the lens of biology. His textural sculptures blur the lines between the animal and human world, combining a love of the land with his experiences as a transgender man. He seeks to expose & explore the tender underbelly of queer life, using the existing stories and connotations humanity has tied to animals.

Lucas continues to show his work nationally as well as online. He draws inspiration outside of the studio from fishing, hunting and foraging in the wild places of the Midwest.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

2021 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Ceramics, Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI),

Kansas City, MO

Honors and Awards

2021 - Nathan and Thelma Notkin Award, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2017-2021 - President’s Honorable Mention List, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2017 - Merit Award Scholarship, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2016 - Floy and Cora Campbell Memorial Scholarship, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

NCECA K-12 Ceramics Exhibition Supply Scholarship, Portland, OR

Pre-college Art Lab Scholarship, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

NCECA K-12 Ceramics Exhibition Scholarship for Kansas City Art

Professional Experience

2023 - Handbuilding Sculpture Workshop for KC Clay Guild

2021- 2023 - Studio Assistant for Rain Harris

Assistance with reclaim and mixing pigmented clays, production of sculptural works, carpentry and crate production for shipment of works to exhibition and sales.

2019 - Teaching Assistant, Gabriel Reed, Clay, Fire and the Practice of the Wild, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

Maintained firing schedule for class, classroom preparation, reclaimed & mixed clay, assisted students with class related projects, carpentry projects for student use, saggar firing and terra sigillata formulation.

2018 - Exhibition Committee Member, Ware-Haus, Ceramics, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

Distribution and promotion of posters, collaboration on show design and name, preparation of gallery space for work, overseeing sales and packaging sold works for distribution.

Exhibitions

2023 - Distribuqueery, NCECA Ceramics Exhibition, Pendleton Art Center, Cincinatti, OH

2022- Smoke Show, KC Urban Potters (KCUP), Online & In-Person Exhibition, Kansas City, MO

2020 - Locked Down/Fired Up, Online Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2019 - Fielding, Online Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2018 - Ware-Haus, Stern Ceramics Building, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2017 - Hot Stuff, Stern Ceramics Building, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2016 - NCECA K-12 Ceramics Exhibition, Oregon Convention Hall, Portland,OR

NCECA K-12 Ceramics Exhibition, Bartle Hall, Kansas City, MO

Skills

Clay and glaze formulation, handbuilt pottery, wheel throwing, plaster moldmaking, gas & electric kiln firing, carpentry, illustration & painting, pyrography, digital media illustration, knowledgeable in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Zbrush, Paint Tool SAI, Firealpaca, Clip Studio Paint.