Kate Johnston (NC, b. 1988), Large Double Handled Stoneware Vessel

Seagrove, contemporary, wood fired stoneware with salt glaze, stamped "K" beneath one handle, highly ovoid form with flared neck, wide mouth, and dual handles, decorated in carved floral and foliate branch motifs, with ash and manganese inlay glazes.

29 x 26 x 26 in.

Private Collection, Raleigh, North Carolina

Kate’s pots are made with local materials, boldly carved with organic patterns inspired by Art Deco design, and fired in a large wood-burning kiln. Kate shows her pots internationally and has lectured and taught throughout the USA. She shares a studio and kiln in Seagrove, North Carolina, with her husband and potter, Daniel Johnston.

Kate's carving process "starts with a solid layer of slip on the still wet piece. I carve the border first and then my main pattern, slowly taking away the background and allowing the design to emerge. The carving is exact- these lines cannot be un-made. When the carving is finished, I inlay contrasting slip into the background. Lastly, I overlay ash glaze on selected elements of the pattern to give it depth. At this point the piece is finished and ready to go in the kiln."

Johnston creates a variety of forms, including those meant as daily service items like plates, cups, and vases, in addition to large-scale vessels and storage jars. She has become a prominent voice for young potters in the Seagrove area, especially women potters. Her voice emanates through workshops she teaches, lectures given (such as at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference in 2019), participation in pottery fairs and exhibitions, and the opening of the Triangle Studio and gallery in Seagrove with collaborator Erin Younge.

Good estate condition; some minor areas of surface dirt from outdoor use.