At the heart of the studio is a fascination with transformation—how clay, fire, and the natural world continually change and interact with one another. I began exploring these connections through ceramics, and over time they have grown into a practice that brings together making, fermentation, and a deep curiosity about materials and living systems.

Clay is shaped by hand and transformed by fire. Food is transformed through fermentation, with time, salt, microorganisms, and the collaboration of an entire ecosystem. And wood, grown from the forest, can be transformed by fire into ash—and then returned to clay as glaze.

This connection between materials and place has become central to my work and to the story of the vessels. At my Seattle ceramic studio, I make high-fire functional ceramics, including fermenting crocks, pitchers, teapots, and other vessels, and develop glazes from the ashes of Pacific Northwest trees. Each wood species carries its own mineral composition and, when fired, creates a glaze with its own character. I am interested in following a material through its journey—from forest, to fire, to clay, and back into our everyday lives.

Fermentation is another important part of the studio’s practice. Water-seal ceramic crocks create an environment where vegetables can be transformed naturally by beneficial microorganisms. Our workshops invite people to explore fermentation not simply as a way of preserving food, but as an opportunity to slow down, improvise, work with our hands, listen to our bodies and minds, and reconnect with processes that are larger than ourselves.