Courtney Adair Johnson
Q4 featured artist
I call myself a reuse artist. I am interested in materials that go through our hands on a daily basis and how I can use them to create conversations on consumption and waste habits.
I collect mundane things and things that show up in excess for my supplies, like styrofoam, floss, packaging material, clothing. The history of an item is intriguing to me, it then can become a layer to be added to the conversation. Themes and topics on health, motherhood, community, and love/lust surface in my work. I am drawn to bookmaking, assemblage and cutting/making words out of random materials
Studio Practice
I have been starting the day with some fun watercolor sketches in a notebook. Very goofy, light, colors but also exploration. I just want to have fun right now in my practice, in life, everything is so heavy right now with the world. I wanna show up with love and space to imagine a different reality. I feel like I am always collecting materials and ideas, I have too many notebooks, each deemed important, and active. I take notes and ideas, words have been a big part of my practice in the last few years. I started collecting them after a mentor suggested it. Words are so powerful, and the breakdown and arrangement of them. And that leads to and from my love of bookmaking (printing too). I have too many books in progress and collect collage material, paper/images are so readily available. Scissors, Xacto, Awl, a bucket of pens/pencils (brush tip pentel from japan and stabilo all’s are my favoritesssss) and a messy desk are my favorite tools. I know when a piece is finished when I like every aspect of it/every part feels resolved. I do sit with my work for years sometimes.
Inspiration
I have been fascinated by reuse, my material (aka trash) for a bit now. I blame it on my earth centricity. Letting the collection and repurposing of material guide my making. I also like to confront personal things that we as humans go through; relationships, mothering, death. I am looking at us humans and our interactions. Very mundane things at times for inspiration. Nature is important to me. I think it is our guide and offers recharge, information and is the best artist. Also chickens, I am obsessed right now. I take my spiritual practice into my responsibilities as an artist seriously as I can with trash as a medium. I feel like I am here to help the conversation move forward into more conscious earth based practices, how we can be better stewards and use less.
Challenges
Ekk creative blocks, I try to honor them, excepting that we have ebbs and flows. I think most artists have to figure out how to make art that feels true and produce income. I have been lucky to work in the arts and been given opportunities to consider my own practice. Having a child for sure changed things for my practice, it also put me in the medical industrial complex. For me it all goes back to what kind of world I want to live in. One where I make art and we could all care a little bit more about ourselves, each other and how we treat the earth. And it has rest and passion and all the important things like clean water. So use less stuff! I think I am getting better at my message and love for earth, but I also question that. Ha.
I have made a book before with my past goal list in it. Some personal, some artistic. Very humbling to look back at them accumulated and especially to share. Looking back I am the most proud that I continued to show up. That I have friends that get my art. That I can converse with and share ideas. I would say take it back to your heart. I think we have to remember this is a practice and it can look different for each person. Continue to realign to what your heart and art need from you. It's a practice. I want to continue to show up, make art, and care about the earth, use less and care more!
Reflection
