Sam Johnson
The pottery in this exhibition is dark and rustic in appearance, evidence of both the process of shaping wet clay and its transformation through fire. Raw unglazed vessels were placed within the kiln and over the course of several days each were marked by wood and heat, melting ash, and charcoal resulting in a somber patina of natural hues and irregular textures. The work is intended to be mysterious and enigmatic in ways that feel familiar. The best of this work strikes a balance between the wild and mysterious character of ourselves and that part of our psyche that sets us apart from it, containing contradictory elements that provoke a sense of mystery and gravitas (soberness, weight, and grief) and suggest those aspects of our nature that is just on the other side of consciousness.
