JOHANNA PORTER
VISUAL + PUBLIC ART
SEATTLE
ABOUT
Growing up in the artificial urban paradise of Miami FL, I felt very detached from nature. A longing to experience wild places was a deep desire most of my adult life. In 2019 that became my reality when I relocated to the Pacific Northwest. During the covid years I found solace and freedom to breath during escapes into nature. My artwork evolved to reflect spiritual experiences discovered in the wilderness of the Cascade Mountains. The roar of a waterfall, the sway of towering evergreens in the wind and miniature chaos found on decomposing nurse logs became imprinted upon my subconscious and then translated into subtle layers of meaning. As I reflect upon the transitory nature of life my emotional state drives my artistic journey forward.
My current work is public art and analog and digital mixed-media assemblage inspired by natural cycles of creation and destruction. Recycled, salvaged and found objects that are no longer deemed useful to their owners are disassembled and re-born as artworks. I reclaim these discards and enter a process where they are re-paired in the present tense as objects of joy and contemplation.The process of hand-sewing with a needle connects me with the objects’ previous owners and a long legacy of human ancestors who understood that nature never wastes anything. My world-view is one that respects organic processes, intuition and collaboration, celebration of diversity and holistic connections. My artwork holds a mirror to those values.
ARTIST BIO
Born and raised in Miami, FL, Johanna Porter is a self-taught digital artist. Her career includes three decades working as a graphic artist, illustrator and art director. In 2019 she moved her studio, PICTURESWITHIN, from South Florida to the Pacific Northwest. She now creates art that is inspired by the cycles of nature. Her digital and mixed-media assemblages have been exhibited nationally in group shows and published in contemporary art journals. Johanna has received public art commissions for temporary installations, including animated short film collaborations, in Washington state and Arizona. In 2023 Johanna Porter was added to the 2023-2025 ArtsWA Public Artist Roster.
ARTIST CV
PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS
2023
City of Fife Public Arts Commission, public art installation- utility box vinyl wrap, Fife WA
Together Center, public art for social services community center, Redmond WA
City of Renton Municipal Arts Commission, public art installation- utility box vinyl wrap, Renton WA
Fountain Hills Cultural & Civic Assoc., digital public art mural, Pump House Pilot Program, Fountain Hills, AZ
2022
City of Redmond, Arts and Culture, public art commission for animated short film, Redmond WA
2021
City of Redmond, Arts and Culture, public art commission for animated short film, Redmond WA
City of Kent Arts Commission, public art installation- utility box vinyl wrap, Kent WA
2019
City of Issaquah Arts Commission, public art installation- utility box vinyl wrap, Issaquah WA
PUBLIC ART INSTALLATIONS
2022
“The Building Blocks of Community”, Seattle Design Festival, Center on Contemporary Art installation collaborator,
South Lake Union Park, Seattle WA
“The Language of Flowers”, Duvall Days Festival temporary public art installation , Duvall WA
HONORS + AWARDS
2023
2023-2025 ArtsWA Public Artist Roster, Washington state
Kent 2024 Centennial Center Gallery Exhibit Award, awarded by City of Kent Cultural Programs, Kent WA
2022
Artists Up! Mentorship Scholarship, awarded by 4Culture/Seattle Office of Arts & Culture/ArtsWA
IPPY Silver Award for self-published poetry and art book “TNTRK”, Independent Publisher Book Awards
2021
Public Art Intensive Eastside Cohort, selected by the City of Redmond Arts and Culture Commission
2019
Roslyn Art Festival: Memories, Second Place Award
SOLO EXHIBITION
2023
"Transitory Nature", Thomas Architecture Studios, Olympia WA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024
“Two-Artist Exhibition”, invitational two-person exhibit, Art Gallery at Lynwood City Hall, Lynwood WA
2023
“Annual Members' Spring Exhibition”, regional online group exhibit, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle WA
“Summer Exhibition”, curated two-person exhibition, DaneStyles Hair Artistry, Snohomish WA
“2023 Kent Summer Art Exhibit”, regional juried group exhibit, Centennial Center Gallery, Kent WA
“Artful Stories & Community Narratives”, curated group exhibit, Sammamish City Hall Commons Gallery, Sammamish WA
“City of Bothell 2023-2024 Gallery Roster”, curated group exhibit, animated short film “The Light of Things”, Bothell WA
“The World That I Want”, international online group exhibit, https://LysdOrart.blogspot.com, Italy
2022
"For the Voices of Women", curated group exhibit, Studio 103, Seattle WA
"Pluralism", curated members' group exhibit, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle WA
“Calm, Centered, Awake”, curated time-based art group exhibit, Sanctuary Studios, Seattle WA
“FIFTY: An Alumni Exhibition”, invitational group exhibit, Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville FL
"Annual Members Exhibit", regional group exhibit, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle WA
“Art of the Garden”, regional group exhibit, Schack Art Center, Everett WA
"Kent Summer Art Exhibition", regional juried group exhibit, Centennial Center Gallery, Kent WA
"The Art of Water", curated online group exhibit, TheArtofWater.global
2021
“Creative and Resilient”, national juried group exhibit, Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, Port Angeles WA
"Marking Lives Covid-19", international online memorial art group exhibit, ElizabethAwalt.com
“ 2021 Virtual Juried Art Exhibit”, regional online juried group exhibit, Shoreline Arts Festival, Shoreline WA
2020
"Embracing Our Differences", international group art billboard exhibit, Bayfront Park, Sarasota FL
“Windows Into the World”, international online group exhibit, Chico Art Center, Chico CA
“Artists in Their Residence”, national online group exhibit, Firehouse Art Center, Longmont CO
"Corona Portrait Project", national curated online group exhibit, CoronaPortrait.com
2019
“Cover These Walls”, national group exhibit, Palos Verdes Art Center, Rancho Palos Verdes CA
“Memories”, national group exhibit, 2019 Roslyn Art Festival, Roslyn WA
“Combined Talents”, national group exhibit, FSU Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee FL
“Pinnacle National Juried Art Competition”, national group exhibit, Foster-Tanner Fine Arts Gallery, Tallahassee FL
2018
“Social Code”, juried group exhibit, Delray Arts Warehouse, Delray Beach FL
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2023
Jolt- the journal of Olympia, Tumwater & Lacey, February 4, 2023
https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/johanna-porters-transitory-nature,9185
2022
Defunkt- art and literature magazine- cover artist, volume 10
https://www.defunktmag.com/volume-10
2021
Subjectiv- art and literature journal, November 2021
https://subjectivjournal.com/fall-2021/
2019
Peripheral Arteries Contemporary Art Review- Biennial, Summer/volume 50
https://issuu.com/artpress/docs/biennial.edition.vi
Art Ascent, Silver Artist, “Beauty” edition
https://artascent.com/category/artists-of-beauty-2019-apr/
EDUCATION
1985
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design, University of North Florida
1978
Associate of Arts, Fine Art, Miami-Dade College, Miami FL