Liz Sparks grew up in Richmond, Virginia and began making pots at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 1992. She worked as a core student at Penland School of Crafts, as a thrower in the Seagrove, North Carolina, and learned from a variety of potters in the North Carolina area. After a residency at the Energy Xchange (a studio powered by methane gas from a land-fill), and some years as a full-time potter doing retail shows, Liz went to Alfred University to complete her MFA. She has taught at Penland School of Crafts, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, Earlham College, and Montana State University.