Peter Christian Johnson

bio

Peter Christian Johnson is currently an Assistant Professor of Art at Kent State University after spending 11 years at Eastern Oregon University. He earned his MFA from Penn State University and a BS in Environmental Science at Wheaton College. Peter has been a resident artist and visiting lecturer at the Alberta College of Art and Design, Australian National University, The Archie Bray Foundation, the LH Project, and the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts. His work has been exhibited in Canada, Australia, and throughout the United States.

artist statement

"My work explores transformation, focusing on both structure and material.  It uses the kiln as a vehicle for deconstruction. The porcelain grid systems begin as digital renderings and are meticulously fabricated by hand. These structures become the architecture over which to stretch a fluid skin that is allowed to warp or collapse the structure under the strain of the firing. They expose the relationship between soft and hard, the fluidity of a membrane, and the moment of intersection between these contrasting elements. They strive to pair labored construction with unpredictability, and capture the entropy embodied in the process."

Exhibitions