Charmian Johnson

Charmian Johnson (1939-2020) was an artist who worked in illustration and ceramics, and is primarily known for her signature bowls and glazes. Born on May 7, 1939 in Pouce Coupe, British Columbia, Johnson attended Delta Highschool in Ladner before getting her teaching certificate at the University of British Columbia c. 1960. From 1961 to 1966 she taught Mathematics and English at Creston Secondary School, before teaching art at elementary schools in West Vancouver. Johnson credits the excellent art teachers she observed working alongside her as what prompted her to return to UBC complete her Bachelor of Education and begin Graduate Studies in Art Education. Her relationship with clay began when, in order to fulfill the studio requirement of her studies, she enrolled in a ceramics course. Her instructors, which included Bob Steele, Jim MacDonald, and Glenn Lewis, the latter of which had recently completed an apprenticeship under British potter Bernard Leach, had imparted techniques onto Johnson and her fellow students. She was in graduate school from 1967 to 1969, during which time she was also editor for B.C. Potter’s Guild Magazine. Although she began her thesis, she never finished the last course she needed to complete her graduate studies. During her studies, Michael (Mick) Henry became Johnson’s mentor and she eventually bought his house, studio and kiln in 1970. The East End home was her Vancouver base of operations until her death.

Her career as an educator continued in 1969 when Johnson began teaching as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Fine Art at the University of Saskatchewan, and taught ceramics in the summer of 1971. From 1971 to 1977, she was a Lecturer in the Department of Art Education at the UBC, and in 1977 she quit teaching entirely and focused on studying and creating pottery.

Johnson was a frequent traveler and made annual visits to her family’s cabin on Lummi Island in Washington, USA from 1964 onwards. Johnson would regularly make trips to visit notable collections of ceramic art, including the Seattle Art Museum (1964 and 1988), the British Museum (1969), the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art (1969), and the Sarawak Museum in Kuching, Malaysia (1994). The summer of 1974 included a visit to Mexico to see Donna Rosa, and that same year she saw the Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul, the Baur Collection in Geneva, and Gwynn Hansen’s studio in Le Bourne.

In 1975, she went to England and made her first visit to St. Ives, England to see Bernard and Janet Leach, who she returned to see in 1977-1978. Through the influence of her mentor, Michael Henry, Johnson was invited to photograph and catalog the pottery collection of Bernard Leach, and she also transcribed his dictated manuscript. In 1978, Johnson made her first trip to Tangiers, Morocco, and until 1980, worked with and learned from the potter couple Malem Ahmed and Haddush Cherkaoui. While there she also began her botanical illustration series when she was recovering from a serious illness, many of these drawings were not finished until after she returned to Vancouver in 1981. Almost yearly between 1983 and 1992, she made extended trips to Hawaii, where she began her Hawaii drawings series.

The UBC Botanical Garden held the first exhibition of her work as part of a group exhibition in 1979, and from 1983 to 2004 Johnson continued to be featured in group exhibitions in B.C. and throughout Canada. She had 3 solo exhibitions throughout her career, including An Exhibition of 99 Bowls by Charmian Johnson at the UBC Fine Arts Gallery (1985), Terra Cotta Gallery (1987), and Vancouver Art Gallery (1989). The exhibition, Thrown: Influences and Intentions of West Coast Ceramics (2004) that was held at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery not only featured Johnson’s work, but her involvement as a curator and researcher. Her knowledge about pottery traditions, potters’ marks, and the overall timelines of various potters and their influences was essential for the exhibition and the subsequent catalogue. The final exhibition she was featured in before her passing was Nature, a group exhibition held at the Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver, in 2018.

Johnson continued to draw and create pottery throughout her career. Her work, Gargoyle Factory, was established in 1982 when she appointed herself proprietor. From her Vancouver home, she made and sold her pots, bowls, creatures of nature such as gargoyles and gorgons until 2014. She was an avid photographer, and frequently took photographs of art she made or encountered, as well as of nature and her friends. Johnson maintained close friendships with many of her fellow artists and art critics, including Clary Illian, Glenn Allison, Michael Henry, Taki Bluesinger, Chick Rice, Hank Bull, Kate Craig, and Gathie Falk, with whom she built their first kiln in 1967.

As a potter, Johnson was very independent, focused, and unafraid to break the mold of whatever was the current trend in the ceramic world. She created vessels that were meant to be used, yet her work is elegant in its straightforwardness, and each piece is unique. Her botanical illustration work also demonstrates her attention to detail, patience, as well as her interest and advocacy for the environment. Charmian Johnson passed away on July 20th, 2020, in Vancouver, B.C..