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.