Samuel Douglas Johnson

My ceramic work attempts to strike a balance between the wild and mysterious character of our environment and that part of our psyche that sets us apart from it.  I’m drawn toward dark clays for their sense of mystery and gravities (soberness, weight, and grief) and look for ways to increase qualities of naturalism in the pottery’s design.

This current body of work has been involved with examining the relationship between various clays and effects possible in wood burning kiln in an attempt to develop a palette that is appropriate to the emotional content of my work.

Utilitarian pottery has a special way of sitting comfortably with its audience and can interact and build relationships as a domestic tool while quietly bearing a message.  All mediums have their limitations and functional pottery is no different.  However, it is within these limitations that I find a kind of poetic structure that amplifies my personal contributions as an artist.