In 1978, Charmian Johnson, a close friend and fellow potter of John Reeve, Glenn Lewis, and Mick Henry, secured a position at St. Ives with their former mentor Bernard Leach. She worked closely with Leach archiving his ceramics collection, giving her the opportunity to handle a variety of old and new pots from Asia and England. During this time Johnson also had the opportunity to meet Lucie Rie and view her own pots and collection. 

The influences of both Rie and Asian ceramics would guide Johnson’s hand as she diligently and quietly made pots for the next forty years in her East Vancouver studio. But her artistic practice would also include meticulous ink and pencil drawings of flowers and plants. Largely done at night, these nocturnal and meditative drawing sessions produced serene and quiet works that have been likened to the calm beauty of her tea bowls.

The sway Song Chinese and Goryeo Korean celadons held over her own work is obvious in this tea bowl. She glazed this bowl with a copper-based glaze and then fired it in oxidation. The squared corners and slightly curving lip add an elegant dimension and offer various places on the rim from which to sip tea.