_edited.png){kind=small}
"With my sculptural pieces, I explore organic forms with unnatural material. The pieces are made with synthetic paper, manipulated into hardened, bony forms. Though the material is called “paper,” it is waterproof, tear-proof, tree-free, and eco-friendly.
I create the abstracted forms to juxtapose the unique properties of synthetic paper with the organic subject matter. The leafy shapes can be smooth and fractal, but can also be morphed into twisted, otherworldly forms. When the clean, comfortable geometry is puckered and curled and melted, it becomes something more fauna than flora. The pieces selected from this series include forms inspired by magnolia and lotus flora, and underwater figures."
Julia Johnson fell in love with paper sculpture at Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. She earned the Outstanding Senior Thesis award in her graduating class for her prototype design of an interactive paper sculpture calendar. Over seven years she expanded her artistic repertoire from illustration to sculpture using new synthetic papers and original shaping techniques. With her signature organic, elegant forms, Julia creates innovative, eco-friendly, modern artworks.
Essential to Julia’s sculptural work is a delicate aesthetic, executed in a durable synthetic paper material. In this way her work is a marriage of sumptuous beauty and pragmatism. The synthetic paper is waterproof, tear-proof, tree-free, and recyclable. Each component is individually cut and shaped by hand. In addition to her interpretive sculptural pieces, Julia is a mixed media illustrator and painter, with specific interest in the human form.
Education
Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
2018 Black Moth Gallery, Ardmore, PA
2018 Los Angeles Invitational Show, Los Angeles, CA George Billis Art Gallery
2018 Lucille Khornak Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY Art Expo 2018, New York, NY
2017 Black Moth Gallery, Ardmore, PA
2017 PSCA Art Auction, Philadelphia, PA
2016 COCA Art Gallery, Wilmington, DE
2016 Pancakes & Booze Art Show, Philadelphia, PA Houppette Ltd Exhibition, Kennett Square, PA
Publications
Art Market Magazine artwork, cover and feature
Meniscus Magazine artwork
The Hunt Magazine graphic design, illustration
JULIA JOHNSON
