Raised in Japan surrounded by antiques and wood-fired ceramics—her mother a flower arrangement teacher, her sister a tea ceremony practitioner—Reiko Schwob spent a decade making jewelry before turning to clay after moving to the United States.

Return trips to Japan brought her into the studios of wood-firing artists, who shared their kilns and techniques with her, and she now embraces the same demanding, communal work herself: splitting wood, loading the kiln, and stoking it around the clock for up to ten days at a stretch. Each firing is a pursuit of new results, and unloading the kiln remains a moment of discovery—natural colors and patinas she couldn't fully control or predict. Guided by this aesthetic, Schwob creates work she uses in daily life, carrying forward the practical beauty instilled by her mother and sister.