There’s a certain kind of patience that only comes from working with fire.
Based in the Pacific Northwest,
Jonathan Steele is a classically trained ceramicist whose work bridges traditional studio pottery and modern teaware design.
His pieces are made primarily through wood firing.
A demanding process that uses flame, ash, and atmosphere to shape and finish the surface of each pot.
Every firing is unpredictable.
The kiln decides where color will flash, where ash will melt into glaze, and where the clay will show its rawest form.
That tension between control and surrender defines Jonathan’s work.
What makes Jonathan’s studio special isn’t just the firing process — it’s how deeply it’s rooted in tea practice.
After years of studying ceramics, Jonathan realized that if he wanted to make truly functional teaware he needed more than technical mastery. It required experience with tea itself.
Now like many of us who have fallen of the deepe end he's brewing daily, testing forms, refining lids and spouts, feeling how water moved through clay.
That combination of craftsmanship and practice gives his teapots and cups a kind of balance that feels alive in the hand — sturdy, intentional, and shaped by experience.
Today, Jonathan focuses on small-batch, wood-fired teaware made for daily use.
Every piece is different, but they all share one thing: a quiet sense of grounding. You can see the fire’s path, feel the evolution of his forms, and up close you notice all the subtle things that make his pots art as much as they are functional wares.
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