Wood was the first fuel used to fire pottery.  Wood firing was brought to an exquisite state of refinement in China during the Sung Dynasty, then spread to Korea and Japan, and was much later followed by our own rich American Wood Fire Tradition.
The mechanism by which wood fired pots gain their unique surface is universal.  As the kiln rises in temperature, the ash from the burning wood is picked up by the draft and flies through the firing chamber.  As it does so, it settles onto the pottery.  Then the chemicals in the ash bond and vapor interact with the clay to form an uneven, rich, natural glazed surface.
Since every tree is different, both in terms of species and in terms of where it was grown, the chemical content of  ash varies greatly.  Wood ash is composed of the nutrients that allowed the tree to grow and they exist in the earth in which the tree took root.
Therefore, the ash glaze that covers wood fired pots is a direct reflection of the tree and earth that provided it.
The spontaneity, happy accidents, irregular surfaces, and deformations that occur in my work keep me endlessly interested. 

  
 Japanese Anagama Wood Kiln

Assortment of Wood Fired Pots

  A Wall Next to the Wood Kiln
 Where I Fire