PICTURESWITHIN

ABOUT

art statement

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One of my earliest ecstatic memories as a child is sitting alone in a sea grape tree. I held the branches, listening and observing, and suddenly became one with the tree: the warm breeze in my face, the slight vibration of leaves, a nearby mockingbird singing its endless love song. My artwork is a manifestation of experiences discovered during deep immersion in nature. The repository of color, form, pattern, texture and quality of light are imprinted upon my subconscious and translate into subtle layers of meaning. My emotional state drives the artistic journey forward and the evolution of each piece becomes a meditative practice. 

My current work is mixed-media digital assemblage. My practice mimics the natural cycles of creation and destruction. Each piece originates as photos and drawings where I process raw emotion. Recycled materials, junk mail, packaging, discarded books, letters, old drawings and photos are deconstructed to build collage. The resulting abstracted forms are born as new realities. The cycle continues as these works are digitized, manipulated, cut apart and re-imagined as continuations of previous works. 

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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.

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artist bio

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Johanna Porter was born and raised in Miami, FL. She is a self-taught digital artist. She received a BFA in Graphic Design from University of North Florida in 1985. 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. Johanna returned to her roots as a visual artist, creating work that is more relevant to her personal growth. 

In the past three years Johanna has exhibited her art in galleries across the nation and was awarded three public art commissions in the state of Washington. She collaborated with a digital animator and screened her first experimental animated short film at Redmond Downtown Park for four weeks during 2021 Redmond Lights. In 2021 Johanna was selected by the City of Redmond, WA  to participate in the Public Art Eastside Cohort. In 2022 the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture awarded Johanna a Mentorly.com scholarship to further her career as a public artist. In 2022 Johanna won a Silver Independent Publisher (IPPY) Award  for the crowd-funded, self-published art and poetry book TNTRK.

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artist cv

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PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS

2021

City of Redmond, Arts and Culture, public art commission for animated short film “The Light of Things”, Redmond WA

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City of Kent Arts Commission, public art commission for traffic controller box, Kent WA

2019

City of Issaquah Arts Commission, public art commission for traffic controller box, Issaquah WA

PUBLIC ART INSTALLATIONS

2022

“The Language of Flowers”, Duvall Days Festival, Duvall WA

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SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022

“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 curated group exhibit, Centennial  Center Gallery,  Kent WA

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"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 exhibition, ElizabethAwalt.com

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“Fear in Technicolor”, regional curated online group exhibit, The Anxious Tomato, Tacoma WA

"SchacktoberFest”, regional group exhibit, Schack Art Center, Everett WA

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“ 2021 Virtual Juried Art Exhibit”, regional online juried group exhibit, Shoreline Arts Festival, Shoreline WA

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“Botanical Art & Illustration”, curated online group exhibit, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach CA

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2020

"Embracing Our Differences", international group art billboard exhibit, Bayfront Park, Sarasota FL

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“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 exhibit, CoronaPortrait.com

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2019

“Cover These Walls”, national group exhibit, Palos Verdes Art Center, Rancho Palos Verdes CA

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“SchacktoberFest”, regional group exhibit, Schack Art Center, Everett WA

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“Memories”, national group exhibit, 2019 Roslyn Art Festival, Roslyn WA

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“Combined Talents”, national group exhibit, FSU Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee FL

“Pinnacle National Juried Art Competition”, national group exhibition, Foster-Tanner Fine Arts Gallery, Tallahassee FL

2018

“Social Code”, juried group exhibit, Delray Arts Warehouse, Delray Beach FL

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SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022

"Solo Expo", Lysd’OrArt.blogspot.com, Italy

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2019

"Solo Expo", Lysd’OrArt.blogspot.com, Italy

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HONORS + AWARDS

2022

IPPY Silver Award for self-published poetry and art book “TNTRK”,  Independent Publisher Book Awards 

Artists Up! Mentorship Scholarship, awarded by 4Culture/Seattle Office of Arts & Culture/ArtsWA 

2021

Public Art Intensive Eastside Cohort, selected by the City of Redmond Arts and Culture Commission

2019

Roslyn Art Festival, Second Place Award

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2022

Beyond Words, art and literature journal- June issue 

Defunkt; art and literature magazine- cover artist, Spring edition

Salann Magazine- 2nd edition

Beyond Words, art and literature journal- April issue 

Beyond Words, art and literature journal- March issue 

2021

Subjectiv, art and literature journal- November 2021

2020

WotisArt, portfolio #36

Average Art, portfolio #36

2019

ArtIt, Summer edition

A5 zine, portfolio #27

Peripheral Arteries Biennial, Summer/volume 50

Art Ascent, Silver Artist, “Beauty” edition

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2018

The Art Blog, November issue

Magazine 43/Hong Kong, Fall edition

Average Art, portfolio #25

A5 zine, portfolio #17

EDUCATION

1985

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design, University of North Florida

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