Stuart Johnson

Recently I wanted to make a gift for a friend that would be especially personal. So I made a piece and then rubbed my palms and fingers and thumbs in underglaze (a kind of "paint" for pottery). I held the piece in my hands to leave my handprints around it. To say that a piece of pottery thrown on the wheel is "handmade" could not be more literally true. I start with a lump of clay and knead it with both hands to prepare it to go on the wheel. Then I center it on the wheel, again holding it with both hands until it is perfectly positioned. Next is the shaping of the piece, one hand working on the inside while the other works from the outside. The resulting piece is very floppy, so I remove it from the wheel carefully, with both hands cradling it. The piece then firms up as it dries and the shaping continues. When it is fully dried, it is fragile, so again, I carry it with both hands to the kiln for the first firing. At each step, both hands are crucial, and the piece is cradled again and again. When the piece is finished, I hold it and put it into the hands of its new owner. I even dare to hope that at some point in the future, that person will hold it in his or her hands and recreate the process, passing it along

Because of this process, I especially like making cups, mugs and bowls. Objects made to be held. Every physical interaction with such a piece recalls the process of beginning with a lump of clay and ending up with a finished piece.

I do a lot of decoration of my work with slips, underglazes and glazes. I try to make the work visually appealing, but I am not trying to "express" anything. I hope the work attracts the hand as much as the eye.