Steve Johnson

A native of Iowa, Steven Johnson creates ceramic vases and vessels that are fired at 1,800 degrees and then deliberately broken with a wooden mallet. He then paints the broken shards with acrylics, enamels and other materials and puts the broken pieces back together again with super glue.

"Breaking each pot changes the perception that viewers have when first seeing my ceramics," said Johnson. "After realizing that what appeared as surface design are actually cracks can startle or surprise, then transform casual observations. Is it still a pot or an abnormal pot? A mistake or a conscious act of destruction? The responses are always interesting, as is the process. The break patterns can never be duplicated and the painting gestures always seem to change, thus satisfying my creative urges and curiosity."

Born in 1950, Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in art from the University of Northern Iowa in 1973. He established his ceramic studio in Clear Lake, Iowa, in 1974 and began his ceramic reconstruction in 1981. Those who own his pieces include professional tennis players Gabriela Sabatini, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. Johnson's pieces are on display in several Iowa museums and numerous corporations exhibit his work such as IBM, Iowa Public Television and the Chrysler/Plymouth company.