Julie Johnson

Julie is a studio potter living in Trumansburg, NY. She began working in clay while attending SUNY Cortland and graduated in 1995 with a BA in Studio Art. She further pursued her interest in ceramics by attending the Kansas City Art Institute to concentrate in ceramics and earn a BFA. She also holds a MFA from Utah State University, where she also studied printmaking and taught classes . In 2002, she was an Artist-in-Residence at the Carbondale Clay Center, Colorado. As a resident, she taught throwing, handbuilding and specialty workshops. She has also taught at the Cornell Ceramics Studio in Ithaca, NY and at the Schweinfurth Museum in Auburn, NY. Julie is a 2007 Fellowship Recipient from the New York Foundation for the Arts. She is also a member of Handwork, Ithaca's Cooperative Craft Store. 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 a unique 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.