Randy Johnston on the growth of wood firing in North America

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Randy Johnston.  A working potter since the early 1970’s Johnston has been instrumental in the development of wood fired kiln technology in the United States. His early ceramic education included study with artists steeped in the Japanese Mingei movement, including Warren MacKenzie and Shimaoka Tatsuzo. Throughout his career Johnston has made functional and sculptural vessels that synthesize these early influences with an interest in African art and the drawings of Robert Motherwell and Franz Kline. Johnston is a professor of art at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, where he has been teaching since 1993.
 
In the interview we talk about working in Mashiko, Japan in the 1970’s, digesting the influence of another culture, and the growth of wood firing in North America. For more information on the Randy please visit www.mckeachiejohnstonstudios.com.