When did you start working with clay? What was the first thing you made?
I started in the Summer of 2010. I took a trial pottery class at NY Togei Kyoshitsu, Japanese ceramic studio in midtown, and made a soup bowl and a cake plate. I fell in love with ceramic that day!

You’ve done a lot of wood-firing ceramics, especially tea bowls. Can you tell us about the process?
Most of my wood-firing is done in upstate New York, though my first memorable experience was in Japan with a master of tea bowls. The process requires patience and hard physical work, but the most important part is that you don’t know the result until you open the kiln. It’s a mix of intention and trusting the ‘god of the kiln,’ as we say.

Your ceramics are functional, but they’re also very painterly. Do you paint on other mediums like canvas or paper?
I’ve never really worked in two dimensions, but I’ve recently started working on paper and canvas as it provides a new layer of inspiration for my ceramics.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a dinner set and preparing for my annual pop-up in Japan.