Artist Statement

Creating settings where the weird can take place, Liv Monique Johnson’s work focuses on the landscape as an agent of change that is not always apparent. Natural surroundings can be familiar yet introduce something unknown and brief flashes of activity hint at larger unseen forces. When man-made structures are present they have become submerged in these phantom tides moving through and around partitions which can no longer contain or exclude. In transitional environments and presumptions of paradise the weird is the normal out of place or not yet witnessed. Johnson’s practice incorporates a wide range of printmaking techniques including etching and woodcut techniques that involve a pain-staking process of applying and reducing anywhere from three to nine layers of color, printed one on top of the other. These translucent layers create a final image rich in a variety of colors and textures. Her installations use screenprints on cut and formed paper as well as other media to create organic three-dimensional forms.

Bio

Born and raised in Pahoa, Hawaii, Liv Monique Johnson earned her BA in Art at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, where her position as Printmaking Studio Assistant allowed her the opportunity to help visiting artists develop and edition their prints for the UH Hilo Visiting Artist Print Collection. At Texas Tech University she earned her MFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in printmaking and sculpture. Her printmaking practice incorporates traditional methods including etching, screen printing, relief and lithography while also exploring new developments in these areas. Her installations are primarily built around print-based media and often include light and sound installation. As a botanical illustrator she has published the first scientific illustrations of four newly discovered species of Cyrtandra in the peer-reviewed journal Phytokeys.

She now lives in Houston where she continues to develop her studio work and is an Instructor and Print Studio Manager for the Glassell Studio School at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.