Stoneware Jar c. 1937

Annie B. Johnston rendered this stoneware jar in watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper. The composition is dominated by the jar's ovoid form, its surface animated by a network of dark brown lines against a lighter ground. The texture evokes the rough materiality of stoneware, but also something more organic, like bark. Johnston meticulously maps the jar's surface, creating a visual field that destabilizes our perception of volume and depth. The lines, seemingly arbitrary, create a semiotic system of marks which can be interpreted as a sign referring to the craft traditions embedded in the artwork's making and reception. The additional sketch of a lid with the letter 'R' challenges fixed meanings and engages with the visual representation of vernacular objects. Consider how the use of line functions aesthetically but also prompts a reflection on the cultural and philosophical narratives embedded in everyday objects. The artwork is a site of ongoing interpretation where the interplay between form and representation invites us to discover the potential hidden within the ordinary.