Joseph Bruhin was born in 1953. At age 15 Joe Bruhin began hitchhiking and backpacking in Colorado, California and Washington and after high school travel to Florida, the East Coast and Canada. These experiences taught him to be independent, get by on very little, and to realize that he would live in the country one day. He enlisted in the Army so he and his young bride could travel abroad. Upon his discharge, they traveled with their son around Europe, Africa, and Asia.
A friend at junior college introduced him to clay. One and a half years later, at Sun Valley Ranch, Utah, he learned wood firing and met people who had a passion for clay. Returning to St. Louis in 1983 he began looking for 40 acres with plenty of water, which he eventually found near Fox, Arkansas. By living in a teepee and planting trees to earn money for three winters, the Bruhins were able to move into the cabin they built. His wood-firing kiln was built next and recently, with the aid of a fellowship from the Arkansas Arts Council, he completed a separate studio. Bruhin describes working in the studio "as almost holy…it is the closest thing I have to church." Throwing for him is a dance in which "I let it happen," he says. He speaks of his pieces being invested with an energy that comes from his physical involvement, the wood fire and something outside of him.