Brownwood Area Fiber Artist Jillian Johnson goes to a lot of trouble to fill an empty space on a wall.
“My pieces can take hundreds of hours to complete, sometimes a year, sometimes even more than that. Since empty spaces are what motivate me, my home is my personal gallery.”
Jillian’s work is currently on display at the Brownwood Art Center, as part of the “Art of Fiber” exhibit, continuing through June 28. Most of her pieces in the exhibit are labeled as “embellished quilted textiles,” featuring vibrant colors, intricate geometric patterns, and shiny and sparkly crystals, beads, buttons, and stones. Jillian will also be giving a free demonstration on Spinning Art Yarn at the Art Center on Sat. June 24 from 1-3 pm.
Recently Jillian agreed to answer a few questions about her art:
How long have you been involved in your brand of art?
I’ve been sewing since the 60’s, macraméing since the 80’s, painting since the 90’s, designing quilt blocks and quilts since the 00’s, embellishing art quilts since the 10’s, and macraweaving since the 20’s. There have been long and frequent hiatuses between.
What is your favorite medium?
Fabrics, but beads, roving wools, and macramé cords all vie for a close second. And I like to paint with guaches. And my next medium will likely be mosaics.
What inspires you in your art?
It’s usually an empty space on a wall, followed by finding just the right piece of fabric that gets me digging through boxes of beads, baubles, laces, and so forth, that I put into a “project box.” I have more project boxes than empty spaces on the wall.
What is your greatest satisfaction or achievement in your art?
Actually hanging something up in an empty space on the wall, the criterion for which is: I must be able to ignore it. That means I have worked it until I don’t notice its flaws, until the balance of its elements don’t disturb my psyche whenever I walk by, until it becomes nothing more than background texture that allows me to focus on the next empty space on the wall.
What has had the greatest influence on your art?
My sister Cathy. After years of only sewing clothing for special events, I started painting designs I created on graph paper. A gifted quilter, Cat taught me how to convert my designs into quilt blocks using a technique called paper piecing. I started creating blocks, then quilts, then art quilts, and then embellishing art quilts.
“The Art of Fiber” exhibit includes works by 17 members of the Brownwood Art Association Fiber and Textile Arts Group. Gallery hours are 10 am to 6 pm, weekdays. For more information about the BAA or the Fiber Arts Group, visit www.brownwoodart.net<http://www.brownwoodart.net>, find the BAA on Facebook, or call 325-641-2916.