Potter thrown for a curve but he vows not to let arthritis slow him down

Creativity seems to thrive here, where whimsical metal sculptures are scattered about and a hut-like kiln squats in the yard. Knock on the studio door and you'll be invited into an office where the floor is brushed with clay dust, and an organized mess of pottery, paints and plaster molds line the walls.

The only thing that doesn't quite belong in this artist's playground is a sheet of X-ray film, taped to a window.

The film shows an outline of Behunin's hands as they looked in 2004, about a year after he was diagnosed with arthritis. Some of his finger joints are mildly swollen in the painful trademark of this autoimmune disease.

Behunin admits the irony of arthritis choosing to attack his hands — his primary work tool. He is one of a handful of Utahns who throw clay full time and has been forced to slow production and alter his work style to care for hurting hands.

He is only 34 years old.

"It's kind of a disheartening thing," said Behunin, who likely inherited his disease from a grandfather. "My doctors have told me if I continue to do what I am doing, I should plan on not having much use of my hands in my older years."

As he speaks of the future, Behunin stands behind a few buckets of glaze, tightly gripping the base of a bowl in one hand and squirting designs onto the piece with his other hand. The way he holds the bowl hurts his hands, Behunin said.

So does his work on the wheel, an instrument he once used as much as four times a week. Now most of Behunin's creations are built by hand with slabs of clay and plaster molds.

It doesn't hurt as much.

But the pain isn't what he wants people to focus on. Behunin is careful to emphasize he is happy and optimistic, despite his hands.

"It has caused me to look at what I can still do more than it has ever caused me to curse the things I can't do anymore," Behunin wrote in an e-mail following a visit to his studio. "I may not be able to do everything I want to do, but who can? I have always found that optimism allows me to see things as blessings that others might see as a curse. I am confident everything will eventually work out."

For now, he has no plans to change his career. Business has slowed as a result of his hands, but colleagues say he isn't hurting financially. Behunin currently ships pieces to about 100 galleries across the nation and designs ceramic tiles to decorate back-splashes and fireplaces.

Recently he created a 26-inch baptismal font for an Anglican church in Park City. The basin for the font was made with 40 pounds of clay and had a 75-pound pedestal. It took Behunin, who also serves as the bishop of his LDS ward, three tries to finish the font; the first time it warped in the kiln and the second time it cracked.

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