Ceramics artist Brad Johnson presents an Artist Talk for his exhibition, Full Circle. 

“Two years ago when The Clay Studio invited me to have a solo exhibition in The Clay Studio Gallery we agreed that March and April would be a good time to show work, pairing my visual vocabulary of carved leaves and flowers with the long awaited arrival of spring.  I started working with the goal of making a collection of “larger” scale pieces. Having been a maker of pots for nearly thirty years I felt confident in my abilities, my understanding of the process and form is well practiced. I thought making my familiar pieces, but on a larger scale would be quite natural. On the contrary, this increase in scale introduced a whole new set of variables. I had to re-examine, and sometime re-learn how to made my work.  Experimentation led to loss and aggravation, but eventually also the satisfaction of greater knowledge and skill. I started trying “new” techniques, reading books and articles, taking risks on anything I thought yield exciting results.  Persistence paid off and eventually I developed a system that was delivering more successful and consistent outcomes on a larger scale while honoring my aesthetic sensibility and commitment to strong form.” – Brad Johnson