ICON by ATIM presents Susan Strachan Johnson

“Weaving

Stories with Fabric and Paint”

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“Sunset in The Scout Camp” Pixelation Quilt, is a pixelation quilt that pays homage to the Group of Seven painter J.E.H. MacDonald.

Tactile Narratives: Woven Artistry Unveiled Susan Strachan Johnson

By Viviana Puello

In this issue, we showcase Susan Strachan Johnson’s artistic talent. From her beginnings as a watercolorist, as shown in the painting above of her daughter, her mother and herself, she has developed a unique blend of textiles and paint, delivering captivating works that explore narratives inspired by the human experience. But Susan does more than merely merge the texture of textiles with the fluidity of paint.

At heart, she is an inventor, defying convention while transcending the normal use of canvas by patching and stitching through it to produce an unforgettable message. Her works are inspired by life itself, where every thread and color tells a story. Read on to experience a collection of intricate pieces that invite you to appreciate the interplay of light, texture and colour.

Through her stitched canvases, Susan creates intimate landscapes that spark a sensory dialogue with the viewer. Her artistry goes beyond her medium, as she touches on themes of nature, history, and the human condition. Every stroke of her brush and stitch in the fabric captures the essence of these connections, the final work resembling an oil or pastel canvas from afar, and an impossibly tactile surface up close.

“The Dirty Joke” Watercolor, Signature Piece for “First Born Daughters.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ARTISTIC STYLE?

“I love to experiment. I was trained in watercolor (actually, a difficult medium to master). Still, when I was able to turn to art full time, I began to wish I could add more “texture”. That is when I started to experiment with Japanese paper, and I called it “watermedia.” A few awards followed, and I began to use acrylic instead of watercolor paint for more extraordinary richness. Then, for greater depth, I wanted to add stitching. After going to a few fiber art shows, I studied for and got my Level 3 Diploma in Design and Craft from the City and Guilds of London Institute.

I found the texture of fabric and stitching compelling, and in 2004, I joined Connections Fibre Artists. I entered a show called The Garden Party and wondered what a garden party in the Garden of Eden would have looked like. I painted myself and my husband in the nude, covered our private parts with glasses of wine, and part of my chest with my arm as I passed him an apple. To be avant-garde, I made the quilt a circle and added various plants that represented the four seasons. I was astonished to be awarded Best in Show!

I continued to experiment with different materials, for example, recycling paper by chopping it up and mixing it with a textile-like torn-up watercolor paper waste (cotton). I also made “pabric,” a combination of Japanese paper, fabric, and wallpaper paste that can be stitched or painted. I printed photographs on fabric, added paint and found materials, and then sewed them, either by hand or machine.

I realized that depicting an image in a quilt of squares was like reducing the number of pixels in the image. I tried this with wall quilts long before I saw Salvador Dali’s famous portrait of Abraham Lincoln! So, playing with Photoshop before beginning a work of art can be a lot of fun.”

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

“If I see something that catches my attention, I wonder what I like about the view or the image—is it the texture (like the bark of a tree) or perhaps the color combination (like split complementaries or the light play)? Then I decided what medium would best capture the essence of what caught my eye, so I put some sketches in my workbook and maybe a complete study.

If I have been commissioned to paint something, the medium is often specified, and sometimes, that makes a difference in capturing the essence of the sitter. When I have a choice, I work in oils if a greater level of realism is needed. If the piece is going to be part of a series, I figure out how it is going to say something different from the other works.”

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOU WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST?

“I have always wanted to do art, and when I was a child, I drew and painted a lot of animals, especially horses, since I was given my first pony at the age of seven. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take Fine Art at university because my father was sick, and I had to start earning a living and looking after myself. But I did sneak in a course in Art History, kept up my drawing, did the occasional watercolor workshop, and painted small pictures, which I framed and hung so I could study them and imagine how I would change them.

“Forest of Ties” Pixelation Quilt, was a birthday commission. Henry had worked all his life for the same company. For his first day at work, he purchased a handwoven woolen tie at Eaton’s for $1.25. Henry became known for his woolen ties and never wore any other type. When he was turning 90, his wife decided to have them made into a piece of art. Forest of Ties is made up of 1” x 1” squares, all cut from his ties, and was inspired by the maple trees in autumn near where we live.

When my children were old enough for me to work full-time, I got serious and had my first show with my daughter Sophie and my mother (my first watercolor teacher). I moved the cars out of our garage, put down some rugs, and built a fake fireplace. When you paint the wall matte black, cover it with glass doors, and add a lovely surround and mantelpiece, it

looks like the real thing. And over the fireplace was a great place to put the “signature piece” of a show. I called our gallery, The Gallerage, and I had a show called “First Born Daughters” since we were all firstborn in our families. It was a great success, and we had lots of sales. I was on my way.”

WHAT MESSAGE DOES YOUR WORK TRANSMIT TO YOUR AUDIENCE?

“My work always has to be about something or have a message, as if I already know what the title of a piece will be. It might be some injustice, an environmental concern, or just an emotion. I am currently working on a series of wild animals that live in this rural area and are camouflaged in their environment. I want people to have to search for them in the painting. This is challenging because it has to be clear that a coyote isn’t a dog, for example, so the animal has to be painted carefully. However, while the details of his environment, the trees, or the pile of logs he is hiding behind don’t need to be highly detailed, they have to “fit.” The message in this case would be: “Are coyotes just good at hiding, or are they actually disappearing?

I also want people to look at my work and smile. I remembered when, as a child, I looked at clouds and imagined what animals I could see in their pattern. I was part of a show in 2016 with the title “Elemental .”The other artists chose themes of Earth, Water, and Fire, while I decided to paint clouds in the sky (Air). I printed inkjet prints of fifteen of my photographs and

altered them with watercolor and watercolor pencils. They were a great success, and it was great to see all the smiles on the viewers’ faces.”

HAS ANY PART OF YOUR STORY INFLUENCED WHAT YOU DO NOW?

“I was diagnosed early as having an “anxiety disorder,” for which I take medication. I think a lot of my art shows concern about what might happen - the extinction of a species, an environmental issue, or, conversely, a sudden burst of hope that things might not be so bad after all. I do occasional teaching, children after school, and one or two adults at a time. They can do whatever kind of art they want in my studio, and I help out if needed.

I also enjoy music, and I play piano and guitar. It has always struck me as enjoyable that most composers respond to something visual when they compose a piece of music. “Claire de Lune,” “Pictures at an Exhibition,” or “The Yellow Submarine” are good examples. But the reverse is rare: it’s not very often that a piece of music inspires a piece of visual art. Sometimes, you can just “illustrate” the title of the piece, but far more interesting is to understand the mood that the music evokes, the time signature, or what an aria is about. These things can decide what colors to use and even the kind of embroidery stitch. In 2013, I coordinated the production of a “music quilt” as a fundraiser to raise money for the 35th anniversary of the Elora Music Festival, making most of the eighty-one 8-inch squares myself. Supporters of the festival sent in their music requests with a fee. Check out my blog at:

https://festivalanniversaryquilt.blogspot.com/2013/03/ hello-music-lover-friends-of-elora.html “

“Wall,

1969” Quilt, is an experiment with shadows. 1969 saw the largest anti-VietNam war rally in U.S. history (500,000 plus), the premiere of the counter-culture movie Easy Rider, the first serious wall graffiti, and the premiere performance in Toronto of the song that became the peace anthem of a generation, John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.” This piece was shown with Connections Fibre Artists at Gallery Lambton in Sarnia in a show called “Hippie Connections.”

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS AND PUBLICATIONS.

2023: Emerald ARTYA Award, from Art Tour International, for “Fear”.

2012: Talent Next Door, Blue Ribbon, for Clear Waters

2008: Touched by Fire, Rebecca Burghardt Memorial Award (Best in Show) for Closer than She Appears)

2007: Grand National Quilt Show, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Special Honorable Mention (Trompe l’Oeil work) for Shadow Fairy

2006: Insights 2006, Fibre Art Award for Forest of Ties

2004: Threadworks: The Garden Party, Best in Show for The First Garden Party

2002: Far From Home: A Soldier’s Life at the Front 19141918 (World War I trench exhibit at the Wellington Country Museum & Archives: AWARD of Merit for Exhibition & Design, Ontario Museums Association (trench, murals, and four mannequins)

2001: The Toy Show, Art-in-Guelph Gallery: the Wyndham Arts Award for The Paint by Number Gift Set (acrylic on canvas)

1999: Here & Now, Georgetown: Merit Award for Back Yard Next Door #1(watercolor collage) 1998 Expressions ’98, Guelph Creative Arts Association: Best in Show for On Their Own and People’s Choice Award for Cottage Patio

Publications:

AFFAIRS OF THE HEART, a Fibre Art Show by Susan Strachan Johnson

EQUIMANITY, the Understanding Between Man and Horse, as seen through the art of Three Great Artists: Leonardo da Vinci, George Stubbs, and Alex Colville

“Riverbed #4” Painted Quilt, shows that garbage can now be seen in the river when you clear up the water.

“Puppy Face with Cloud” Ink Jet Print with Watercolor

“Shadow Fairy” Wall Quilt, experiments with brick textures and with how to represent shadows in fiber art.

“Cottage Patio” A Large Watermedia (Acrylic with Japanese Paper).

I am thrilled to be considered for this honor. I have been a fulltime artist for 32 years, and while I have been in many juried shows and have had 13 solo shows over the years, I have never had this international exposure before. Thank you!

@strachanjohnson1

@StrachanJohnson

“Fear” Mixed Media, was inspired after a terrible car accident caused by being unable to stop on a particularly bad patch of ice. My car and I ended up in the ditch, and the car was a write-off. I was apparently unconscious for a couple of minutes and woke up with the airbag in my face, and all I could see was the shattered wing mirror and some kind of figure approaching.