Johanna

Christianson

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Johanna Christianson

Johanna Christianson moves between oil painting and collage, each feeding the other. The Seattle-based artist pulls from fashion and interior design magazines, loosely sorting clippings by color and shuffling them like puzzle pieces waiting for an image to surface. She arranges until the composition clicks, then glues it down without much fuss. The intuition has already done its work.
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In the Words of the Artist

I would describe my work as intuitive and meditative. I draw inspiration from anatomy, landscape, architecture, and twentieth-century Abstract Expressionism, pulling from each in different ways. I’m especially interested in exploring the relationships between color, texture, and form, and how they interact to create tension and balance. In addition to collage, I paint abstract oils, and the two practices continually inform one another. Each medium feeds the other, creating an ongoing dialogue within my work.

Not to be hyperbolic, but collage can mean everything to me; it feels like a metaphor for living and being. You could hand the same source material to different people and end up with drastically different outcomes, each shaped by personal perspective and instinct. I’m drawn to how approachable it is, how it can be both sustainable and resourceful. Above all, I love that the process feels meditative and contemplative, offering space to slow down and reflect.

I wouldn’t say that I work with one distinct, overarching theme. My process is more intuitive than that. I’m drawn to imagery for its texture, color, or shape, elements that spark something visually. From there, I experiment with form, pushing and pulling tension within a piece until it settles into a sense of visual harmony.

Sometimes I begin with a specific idea in mind, but more often I’m simply showing up to the studio and responding to whatever emotions or thoughts are moving through me at the time. The work becomes a way of processing and translating those internal shifts into visual language.

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My studio desk is often flooded with clippings, which I try, though often fail, to keep organized by color. I think of them as puzzle pieces waiting to form an image that hasn't yet revealed itself. I arrange and rearrange elements until the flow of imagery feels resolved and balanced. I typically fully assemble the composition prior to adhering it to the base paper, afterwards I rarely make additions or revisions.

My materials are fairly simple: rubber cement, magazines, “canvas paper” (a thick paper with a canvas-like texture, typically used for oils and acrylics), and a pair of sewing scissors I inherited from my grandma, who I’m sure would not be pleased to know I use them on paper. I’m especially drawn to fashion and interior design magazines. The flow and drape of fabrics, in particular, make for really luscious, dynamic compositions.

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There are so many artists and artworks that inspire me. Lately, I’ve been thinking about a Seattle artist whose work I really admire, Tim Cross. He works with acrylic transfer and gouache on silk, often using photographs from his daily walks as source material. I’m drawn to the way he invites you into his world through those personal fragments. He also centers play in his studio practice, which I think is incredibly important and something I value deeply in my own process.

I honestly see collage continuing to grow in popularity, and I love that. As I mentioned earlier, you can give the same source material to different people and end up with completely different results, which speaks to how personal and expansive the medium is. I think collage is incredibly dynamic and adaptable. It has the potential to be a meaningful and enriching addition to anyone’s studio practice.

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About the Artist

Johanna Christianson is a self-taught visual artist based in Seattle, Washington. She maintains two parallel practices, collage on paper and oil painting on canvas, each developing independently while actively informing one another. Her intuitive practice explores the interplay of color, texture, and form.

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