The search to find a balance between the decorated surface and the pot’s form is a puzzle, with an elusive solution, that sustains my interest. I’m prompted to design the surface spontaneously; to map my experiences and draw from my inspirations.
My work forms a bridge between two-dimensional media and the sculptural aspects of pots. An etched line, a calligraphic brushstroke and the movement and pattern of a written language influence the surface. Growth and motion are represented by universal images of birds and plants.
I like the idea that an intimacy can be intrinsically produced and remain in a potentially ordinary object. Through creating pots, I’m able to be a part of this relationship by connecting with another’s experience and imagination.
Johnson has exhibited widley, including most recently at Santa Fe Clay, the Contemporary Crafts Museum and Gallery in Portland, Oregon and the Baltimore Clayworks. She has a MFA from Utah State and a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute and has taught at the Cornell Ceramics Studio in Ithica and the Carbondale Clay Center in Colorado.
