I have a vivid recall of learning to throw clay on a wheel, and saying to myself, “I should be doing this.” That was in 1992 when, after lots of training, I had begun my first faculty job as a pediatrician at University of Colorado. Given the timing of this epiphany, a career change seemed poorly advised. I am blessed with a wonderful family, and I get great meaning from my “day job”. I now do my clinical work at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle, my non-clinical work at the Child Health Institute, and have been on the faculty at the University of Washington since 1994.

I have grown and evolved as a potter through steady practice. I typically get up early and spend some time at the wheel. This serves as a kind of morning meditation, but with output.

After enough time, a potter settles into some forms and styles that feel like his or her own. Like handwriting or accent, this is a mostly unconscious process that happens as a natural result of repetition. Over the years I have been drawn back to certain forms because they are enjoyable to make, nice to look at, functional (usually), and keep teaching me things about working with clay. This becomes the forum for my artistic expression: a small number of forms, often in various sizes, that resonate with me. The final step is to fire them thoughtfully.

Much of my work is now fired with wood in a recently completed Thai-style anagama kiln on Lopez Island, Washington. “Anagama” means “tunnel kiln” in Japanese. With this type of kiln, there is no barrier between the firebox, where the wood is stoked, and the pieces being fired. The result is lots of ash effects on the pots. It was built over two years by Jesse Bay, my kiln partner, who supplied the know-how, and by me, supplying lots of back-work. Along the way we also stood on the shoulders of giants. Wood-fire masters Svend Bayer, Mark Hewitt, and Bill Kremer provided plans, advice and encouragement throughout the project.

Our inaugural firing lasted for three days. The first day was spent gradually increasing the temperature to our goal (about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit), and the next two days keeping it there while continually stoking with wood. The first firing and its results exceeded my best expectations. Although glaze is occasionally used on the pots, most pieces are not glazed before firing and the surface effects are created entirely by the wood ash which lands on the pot, and eventually melts and merges with the clay body. This is a labor intensive process that requires several people willing to stoke around the clock, but wood firing gives effects and surprises that are not obtainable through any other firing method.