Pit firing is an ancient tradition of low-fired pottery.  No glazes are used; the colors and patterns are the result of the type of clay, the burnishing of the pot's surface and the combination of materials used in the firing. Nan shapes her pots on a wheel or by hand, burnishes it with a smooth, tumbled stone 3 or 4 times until a glossy surface is achieved, and then bisque fires at a very low temperature.  She then pit fires, often at the beach, placing the pots on a bed of sawdust sprinkled with seaweed or other color-producing materials, then covers it with dry cow dung and mixed woods. When the ashes are cool and the pots removed, she cleans them with a very fine steel wool and lightly buffs using a clear paste wax and soft cloth.

Nan has experimented with pit-firing for over 15 years.  She has sold her work at Gump's in San Francisco, Gallery One in Petaluma and the Sonoma Mission Inn.

Raku is a traditional Japanese firing process dating back to the beginning of the 16th century. The firing technique involves a very rapid heating and cooling of the pieces. Each piece is bisque fired to prepare it for glazing. The glazed or unglazed pieces are then placed in a kiln and fired to a temperature of 1500-1800 degrees Farenheit. While the glaze is still molten and glowing hot the pieces are removed from the kiln with tongs and placed into a container full of combustible materials (like newspaper, straw, leaves or sawdust). After igniting, a lid is placed on the container starving the oxygen from the atmosphere and reducing the glazes to dramatic metallic or crackle finishes. Each of Joann's raku fish are hand sculpted and entirely unique.

Joann first discovered her love of pottery in 1978 while studying graphic design at New York’s Pratt Institute.  Over the past few years she has studied pottery and sculpture locally with Joel Bennett and Hiroshi Fuchigami. Her passion for clay continues and also includes annual visits to Mata Ortiz where she studies with internationally renowned potter, Juan Quezada, considered in Mexico to be a National Living Legend.