In conversation with
Justine Johnson

Justine Johnson is an American artist with an interest in textiles, indigo and Japanese art. Living and working between London and West Wales, Justine’s work is activated by the natural landscapes of these two regions. She grows and forages natural materials from which to make pigments and plant dyes, often juxtaposing these delicate processes with the dust and grime of ingrained surfaces

Artiq We recently had the pleasure of visiting your studio, and seeing some of your wonderful work in person. Can you share some insights into your studio environment with our audience? What elements or features within your studio are important for your creative processes?

Justine Natural light is essential for me. My ever-growing collection of objects found on my wanderings, I can't live without my muller and glass slab hand-made pigments and dyes in jars. Two tables, one for messy work and another that is spotless clean. I also have an image of fragments from the earliest known indigo, from Peru and 6200 years old hanging on my wall. I see it every morning.

Artiq How would you describe the journey of making your pieces, from the initial idea to the fabrication?

Justine It's kinda like going for a long walk in the woods, then wandering off path to make your own path that leads to a river, continue walking to the sea, surf the waves and watch the sun go down, then the stars appear.

Artiq Having spent time studying with a master artisan of the kimono in Japan, can you discuss the techniques you learnt during your time there? How has this experience influenced your current artistic practice?

Justine Yuzen, which is a resist dyeing technique using a rice paste to draw with then dye. Roketsuzome is a wax resist dyeing process and Shibori is the folding or/and stitching to create resistance in dyeing. There are hundreds of ways of using these techniques that I employ and have developed my own style of working with them. Working with dyes/pigments and learning ancient recipes to achieve colours that are timeless and emotional is something I try to achieve in my own practice. Studying with a master sensei gave me a deep sense of self-discipline and aesthetic that I carry with me.

Artiq What sort of emotion or response do you hope that your pieces evoke for your audience?

Justine That we are all connected, we are all one. That there is hope and light in the darkest of times.

Artiq You work frequently with the colour Indigo in your practice, creating pigments from plants and natural materials. Can you discuss this process? What draws you to this complex method of working?

Justine It is the colour of everything. I find it absolutely amazing that from a seed I plant, nurture, harvest, process and make art. It's a full cycle of life that informs and inspires my creative process. Making a natural indigo vat is alchemy. For indigo and woad I make a fermentation vat that can take weeks to grow and bloom ready to use. Madder pinks are fast to make but slow to grow with their roots taking three years to harvest. I use London tap water for the madder as the hardness makes the softest peach pinks.

Artiq How much of your creative process is planned, and how much is spontaneous?

Justine It's a bit of both really, I might have an emotion, a feeling, a spiritual experience of being in nature or something that just triggers an idea that I am curious about. That leads to research materials, colour, shapes that are right for the idea and during the process everything changes and becomes spontaneous.

Artiq Do you have any exciting upcoming projects that you can share with us?

Justine I have a solo exhibition in Hampstead, London. I have also been selected for The Other Art fair, LA.