Johnson has been exhibiting her work since 1979.She primarily works with ceramics but has also worked with ink on paper drawings and painting. Having apprenticed with Glenn Lewis and Mick Henry during her graduate studies at UBC she is directly tied to their philosophies linked to Bernard Leach and Japanese Pottery. Johnson went to St.Ives in the late 70s to continue with Leachian theory and document the Leach Pottery collection. She is also influenced by Korean and Chinese ceramics, especially the glazing used in the Ming, Ying and Sung dynasties. She spent some time travellingaround the world for artistic research then returned to Canada and began making a series of stoneware gargoyles. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, she changed focus to the production of pots, large bowls, ikebana vases and small boxes.
Exhibitions
Solo
In 1985 "An Exhibition of Bowls" was shown at The UBC Fine Arts Gallery in Vancouver, BC. In 1987 she had a show at the Terra Cotta Gallery in Vancouver, BC titled "The Gargoyle Factory Does Not Often Appear." This exhibition showcased her conceptual exploration of gargoyles. In 1989 her exhibition "Flora: Drawings by Charmian Johnson" was held at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC. Johnson later showcased more of her drawings in 2018 in a group exhibition. Her last solo show was in 2002. "Temoku: Iron Rich Glazes in Canadian Use." was exhibited at the Canadian Clay and Glass Museum in Waterloo, Ontario.
Group
Jonson's first documented show was "Charmian Johnson and Ron David" in 2002 at the Pendulum Gallery in Vancouver, BC. In 2003, Johnson continued to show her pottery in the group exhibition "Genius Loci" at The Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo, ON. This exhibition showed a variety of eclectic pieces made of clay, glass or enamel placed in unconventional locations. Johnson's worked played with images of the imagination, and included her gargoyles, which popped out of the gallery's dark corners. Johnson then went on to exhibit in 2004 at The Morris Helen and Belkin Gallery in Vancouver, BC). "Thrown" showed Johnson's bowls, vases, jars, cups, boxes, plates, saucers, tea pots, and oven dishes in varied colours, shapes and sizes. In total over one hundred of Charmian Johnson's ceramic pieces were featured. Her most recent group exhibition was in 2018. "Nature", held at Catriona Jeffries Gallery in Vancouver, BC, exhibited her ink on paper drawings of botanicals. Her many drawings were on the perimeter of the gallery. They were intricate, in black and white, and ranging in style from scientific illustration to graphic motif.
Curated
Johnson dabbled in curation in 2004 with the exhibition "Thrown" held at The Morris Helen and Belkin Gallery. Johnson co-curated this exhibition with Lee Plested and Scott Watson. This exhibition featured over 600 ceramics that were influenced by or during the Leachian pottery movement in England.
