My wife, Kiesha, and I are the artists behind Up in Smoke Pottery. We have a line of stoneware objects for everyday use. But we’re perhaps best known for our distinct line of “Smokeware.”

We are particularly drawn to the natural warmth of raw unfinished pieces which is evident in both of our lines of pottery. Each piece is formed by me, the part of the process I have always enjoyed, and Kiesha prepares them for firing. Once we have lit the fire we relinquish control of the process and let nature finish our work. Each piece ends up one of a kind; with a bit of me, a bit of Kiesha, and bit of God’s influence. We embrace the unpredictability and variations in piece to piece. We love to look at each piece and try to figure out how or why the pattern and color turned out as it did.

Because our teachers have been the clay and the processes involved and we’ve embraced the trial and error methodology. We’re not bound by the conventional rules of the ceramic process. All of these things are evident in the uniqueness of each object.