Essay by Andrew L. Maske
Foreword by Warren MacKenzie
Afterword by Bernard H. Pucker

Andrew Maske, Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Kentucky, writes about the art of Randy Johnston, renowned contemporary American potter who lives and works in River Falls, Wisconsin. Johnston creates utilitarian wares that recall Neolithic forms and are modernized via their partnership with a Japanese folk aesthetic. His training began in the American Midwest, followed by a year of study with Shimaoka Tatsuzo in Mashiko, Japan. Johnston is a working potter who maintains fidelity to the tradition and Mingei philosophy that initially fostered his interest in ceramics. His vessels, fired in Japanese-style wood-burning kilns, are imbued with the Mingei ideal: handcrafted, functional, and representative of the Wisconsin setting where he lives and works. As an artist, Johnston has been able to observe his environment and translate it into his own voice. He creates work that pays homage to these influences, but is still unique and distinctly his own. Characterized by warm and vibrant colors and evidence of intense ash flow within the kiln, Johnston’s work ranges from large jars to contemporary sushi platters. This publication features photographs of current and past works by the artist, images from his time spent in Japan, and the evolution of his studio and workshop.

• Published by Pucker Art Publications, Boston, MA, 2011

• Distributed by Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, NY

• Slip cased hardcover book, 8.5 x 11"

• 104 pages with color illustrations

• ISBN: 1-879985-23-3

• Price: $50.00 + $10.00 shipping