Fire, smoke, and melted wood ash; these are some elements that paint the ceramic surfaces of my pots and tell stories of their transformation from clay to stone. I look to rocks for inspiration, their colors and textures, ancient and weathered by uncounted seasons, hold a humble beauty and wisdom that seems a fitting companion for tea.They are old friends, tea and stone, clay and water, leaf and sun. As a clay worker I explore the relationship between these elements to create vessels made of honest, earthen materials that hold space for the quiet wonders of tea.

The pots themselves are made of clay and sand gathered from the land and rivers where I live on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state, the ancestral lands of the S’Klallam and Chemakum peoples. The pots are fired with wood from trees that grew and lived on that land, drinking from those same waters and collecting energy from the sun and minerals of the earth. That energy, released and gathered within the kiln during the firing process is now bestowed upon them as a blessing for their journey in service.

Joel Diepenbrock,

Fox Creek Pottery