Form and color from nature are the essence of Patti Pease Johnson’s silkwork. Growing up in a family of 10 in rural Minnesota, “my mom took me to art classes with her and we also enjoyed much family camping throughout my childhood. I’m very grateful to my parents for instilling the art of noticing nature’s greatness,” she says. Having moved to the Big Island in 1998 with her family of four, she became enthralled with the vivid colors and large plant shapes of the rain forest.
Her work is created in the mediums of liquid dye on silk with wax resist, soft pastels for landscapes and seascapes, and watercolor for abstraction. She also teaches art workshops for beginners and intermediate students in these three mediums.
Past career paths have nurtured her creative skills: as a graphic designer, marketing consultant, editor, and small publishing company owner, with a pre-career in the nursery landscape field for a decade. Patti has a fashion accessory line of silk tunics, scarves and jewelry, and a home accessory line of original wall art and scrolls with over 100 prints in galleries and gift shops around the state. Her original paintings are found in many international collections. She has had 10 solo exhibitions, been in numerous juried art competitions, and has been curator of five major multiple artist exhibits. She has been a long time board member of art organizations. Mrs. Johnson is a self-taught artist who relishes taking intensive art workshops when available, and is enjoying the journeys of learning to work with clay. Her recent 2D and 3D sculpture work combines clay and silk, forming an interesting juxtaposition and color play.
“My mission is to be wholehearted appreciation for each other’s humanity,” she says. “My artistic mission is to light people up with the colors of life, whether from my art work in their homes and businesses, or helping students light themselves up with their own colors of life.”
You can see work by Patti Pease Johnson on our online store.