ARTIST STATEMENT
This series of drawings serve as a memento to my childhood through the lens of entering adulthood and the challenges in transitional points of my life. Struggling to let go of past versions of myself, while feeling detached from these identities and memories. I am choosing to process this dissonance within my lived experiences and in my art. These works visually represents my feelings of disconnect between my current life and identity, to the past versions of myself. Elements of the pieces represent the overlap of experiences, personalities, and the changes in my consciousness and subconsciousness. These included my recollection of girlhood, changes in my mental health, my perception of society upon entering womanhood, and my thoughts about the future. 90’s and 2000’s pop-culture references represent the “good” of the past and times that are longed for. These images paralleled by organic, cylindrical forms represent anxiety and worry. Saturated colors and humorous imagery describe my experiences and mistakes growing into adulthood. Color and humor act as a mask for the deeper and heavier topics. Combining these elements, I create surreal dreamscapes that embody my past, present, and future. My work focuses on the fluidity of memory and the visual representation of time is reflected in the materials. Working with watercolor, ink, and acrylic because they provoke the idea of play and experimentation desired during my processes. My art is grounded in imagination and exploration, reflecting the inner child perspective.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Artist Lily Johnson is a recent graduate from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She received her BA in Studio Art with a concentration in drawing. During her education, she enrolled in women and gender studies classes that heavily influenced her art, her perceptions of womanhood, and her own experiences as a woman. Lily’s work questions social structures, gender roles, and mental health in combination with comical imagery and saturated colors to create her dreamscapes. Artist Lily Johnson is a recent graduate from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She received her BA in Studio Art with a concentration in drawing. During her education, she enrolled in women and gender studies classes that heavily influenced her art, her perceptions of womanhood, and her own experiences as a woman. Lily’s work questions social structures, gender roles, and mental health in combination with comical imagery and saturated colors to create her dreamscapes.
© Lily Johnson