Slow PursuitSamuel Johnson & Tim Rowan Late February 2019

Curator's Statement:

For this exhibition we have chosen two makers whose sentiments are deeply considerate, involved, and exploratory. The strength and quietness of the works tend to draw us nearer to them. Johnson and Rowan invite us to slow down, to become aware of the gradual, highly physical processes involved in the materials and firing with wood. Mostly unglazed, the dark clay vessels often have irregular textures. They tend to become mirrors of our own seeking through the acts of creation and observation.

Fellow potter Jeff Shapiro describes Rowan's work accurately when he says, "Often, work of this nature can be so personal that it is inaccessible to a viewer who is not privy to the inner thoughts of the artist. Rowan provides just enough meaning to enhance the already strong forms, such as his early boxes that are derived from mortuary containers having to do with his thoughts on mortality and being grounded."

Samuel Johnson says of his work, "I wasn't initially drawn to making unglazed utilitarian pottery with dark surfaces, but over time, I began to see this as a way to evoke a sense of mystery and stillness. Both seemed an effective response to a culture which celebrates quick and insignificant revelations. [...] This work strikes a balance between wild and mysterious parts of ourselves and the part of our psyche that sets us apart from them."