by Elaine Johanson
I started throwing as a physical and mental balance to my work as a writer. Along the way, throwing and the process of creating ceramics became a passion all its own.
Every time I sit at the wheel, I challenge myself to create forms that appear light and solid at once. This practice has come to inform all the work I do, as a writer and maker.
Where is your studio?
I'm proud to work out of the Black Hound Clay Studio here in West Philadelphia. Often, I will fire my pieces in the wood kilns at Chester Springs Studio or the Community Arts Center in Wallingford.
Will you bring back a piece you made before?
Because my work is wheel-thrown, there's slight variation in what I make, even if I am making a similar shape. Since most of my work is wood-fired, there is tremendous variation in how a piece turns out, even if I use the same glaze and same clay! This is all to say: each piece is one-of-a-kind.
