Just My Cup of Tea

Storytelling Ceramic Artist Patrick Johnston Returns to
S.B.

by Elizabeth Schwyzer

Fanciful, lopsided, charming, and lovable, Patrick Johnston’s
teapots have little in common with their sensible, symmetrical
counterparts. His functional vessels are more than just hot
beverage dispensers — each pot is also a storybook character in one
of the artist’s whimsical tales. “For me, teapots are
representative of communication,” said Johnston. “You invite
someone into your home, serve tea, and talk. My work is all about
pure communication, and the stories I write are about freeing
yourself from whatever is holding you back.”

Johnston began exhibiting his work in the late ’90s while still
a student in Santa Barbara City College’s art program. His
storytime tea party exhibitions at D’Angelo, Muddy Waters, and Roy
met with instant enthusiasm and attracted hundreds, but
Johnston — known to his fans as PJ — felt he was stuck in an
artistic rut. Encouraged by SBCC art professor Christopher Bates,
Johnston applied to study art at the Rhode Island School of Design,
where he graduated from the BFA program in 2003. Since completing
the program, the artist has been based in Orange County, but he’s
determined to make a Santa Barbara comeback — his show at Reds next
month marks his triumphant return.