Johnstone opens the kiln

Potter Jody Johnstone will hold her spring kiln opening show and sale Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and June 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at her studio at 135 Webster Road.

On display will be a large selection of functional work including tableware ranging from bowls, cups and plates; to pitchers and teapots and a wide selection of flower vases and jars. There will be kiln tours and refreshments.

Johnstone apprenticed in 1994-95 in Bizen, Japan, to National Living Treasure Jun Isezaki, and she completed the construction and design of her 24-foot long anagama tunnel kiln in 1997. The kiln is fired twice a year; each eight-day firing requires a crew of four potters and more than six cord of wood. Most of the pots are unglazed, their earthy surfaces a result each piece's specific location in the kiln and the flame and ash interacting with the clay over the long firing. Johnstone is featured in the recent hardcover publication, “Wood-fired Ceramics: 100 Contemporary Artists.”

For directions or more information, visit jodyjohnstonepottery.com or call 338-5314.

Courier Publications’ A&E Editor Dagney C. Ernest can be reached at (207) 594-4401, ext. 115; or dernest@courierpublicationsllc.com.