Meet Angela Johnson of Columbia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Johnson.

Hi Angela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started my journey with clay while getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Missouri, Columbia. That degree required a variety of art classes. My emphasis was graphic design, but my love was forming clay on the wheel. After I graduated, my parents supported my passion by helping me purchase a wheel, kiln, clay, and glazes. Unknowingly they helped me in countless ways with these purchases. I’m sure they assumed it was something I would do and then move on from it, but almost 30 years later, I still love getting my hands messy in the clay and creating at the wheel.

Over the years I have worked with clay, I have found that the process parallels my life’s journey; my faith journey is one of the areas of my life that have been hugely impacted by my work with clay on the wheel. In my late twenties I found myself living a life that was unhealthy and miserable. In this pain, I reached out for help and found it in a church community; I was attending a class at this church and was invited by the leader to bring my wheel and share the process of creating from a ball of clay. That experience opened my eyes to another layer of what I was doing at the wheel. Over the years, I have had various opportunities to share my testimony while teaching about the stages of creating a clay vessel. The other area of life impacted is how I earn my living. Today I sell my clay pieces through stores and at art/craft shows. There were many years during the raising of my children when my wheel was in storage. But I believe divine intervention had me pulling my wheel back out in the summer of 2015. I began by making gifts for family and friends. Then I kept making and making. I started selling to family and friends. Then I approached a couple of local stores to see if they would carry my pieces, and they said yes! I then began signing up for craft shows. During this time, I also worked other jobs to support my family, but in 2019, I could only focus on making and selling pottery. Today I am still in a few stores, and I continue to sell at art/craft shows (12 this year); I hope to sell a few items off my website soon.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
The biggest struggle I have had is with my willingness to be vulnerable and put myself out there. I received rejection letters from art shows early on, which stopped me from trying for juried shows because I felt I wasn’t good enough. Since then, I have been working on my craftsmanship, developing my style, and learning what juried shows are looking for. This year I felt ready to put myself out there again. I decided I would submit for a few of these shows and see what would happen.   So far, I have been accepted into all I have applied for. And one of them is a show I had been declined for previously. I also decided to apply to become a juried artist for Best of Missouri Hands. I was very nervous, but I knew I could learn from whatever the outcome. I was accepted! I feel proud that my hard work has led to these accomplishments, and I am hopeful that I will have opportunities to be in juried shows more and more each year.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have a few techniques that I like to use when creating. One uses dark and light clay blended and then lets the clay show on the piece. This technique’s contrasting colors create a lot like wood, and I think it’s fun to create something out of clay that doesn’t look like clay. The other technique I often use is etching. The one I do the most has the look of a knit sweater pattern. Another one is etching out a tree. The tree showed up in my pottery after the loss of my dad, who was an “oak tree” in our family, because he was a protective covering from many of life’s challenges. The tree also symbolizes the need for a firm foundation and a strong root system. I want to be like a tree and firmly rooted in God’s word because I feel my life goes better when I live this way. So, when I designed my logo, I decided to use the tree as a central image because it is so impactful to me. I hear a lot from patrons of my booth that my pottery doesn’t look like traditional pottery. I think that is due to the techniques and glazes I use. I enjoy hearing that the mug or bowl they purchased from me is their favorite to use. This means that I have created something useful and enjoyable for them. I hope to continue creating pieces that are enjoyed by others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.angelamariepottery.com
• Instagram: angelamariepottery
• Facebook: angelamariepottery