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| Artist Rochelle Johnson |
Rochelle Johnson was born in Denver, Colorado in 1964. She
was adopted at only one month old, and was raised with her three other adopted
siblings. From a young age, Johnson appreciated art, and in middle school she
began drawing from magazines. It wasn’t until high school, however, that she
felt the urge to fully delve into her art. A friend who lived not far from her
family home became one of her first mentors by teaching her some of the techniques
that he had learned.
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| Irises © Rochelle Johnson |
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| One to Grow On © Rochelle Johnson |
Johnson also spent time perusing the artist booths at the
Denver Art Fair and talking to artists about their creative journeys. These
conversations with artists, and the mentorship she received inspired Johnson to
go to school for art. After high school, she enrolled in the University of Fayetteville
in Arkansas. She didn't stay there for long. Her dislike for Arkansas, and her drive to create brought her to
the Rocky Mount College of Art in Denver, CO, where she graduated with a degree
in Graphic Design.
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| "D" Train © Rochelle Johnson |
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| Evening Elegance © Rochelle Johnson |
Her degree in graphic design was a practical one, but in her
heart she still wanted to pursue her art. Upon her graduation from art school,
she moved to Seattle, Washington. For Johnson, moving away from Denver gave her
a fresh start. She began working in a law office full time, and worked as a freelance designer on a part-time basis. Although she was making money, Johnson still wasn’t
fulfilling her urge to create the way that she wanted to. After 8 years in
Seattle, Johnson moved back to Denver.
With her focus now stronger than ever, she decided to enroll in the Arts
Students League of Denver, where she met her mentor, artist Ron Hicks. Hicks
not only showed her how to work with oils, he gave her a new appreciation for
the stories behind the work. With his support, she decided to embark on a
fulltime career as an artist.
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| Primordial Spring © Rochelle Johnson |
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| Room for Two © Rochelle Johnson |
After 5 years of painting professionally, Johnson says that
she has just recently found her creative voice—an all too important part of every
artist’s journey. She says that like Jacob Lawrence, she wants to paint imagery
that represents the everyday life of people—from the urban areas to the
suburbs. She finds it more interesting than still life, landscapes and
non-representational work. “ Every painting needs to have a figure in it,” she
states, but she also made the observation that some of her paintings are
inadvertently taking on an abstract form even with the figure. She loves using
oil, and describes the medium as “sensual.”
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| Keith © Rochelle Johnson |
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| The Last Smoke © Rochelle Johnson |
Johnson says that the fact that she was adopted also had an
impact on her subject choices. For a time (although she was surrounded by a
loving family), she dealt with loneliness, and understandably wanted to find
her birth parents. Her art not only helped her deal with those feelings, but it
also reminded her that she had a full and wonderful life with her family.
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| Space Between © Rochelle Johnson |
She has faced some challenges on her new creative journey,
and is working to build a solid customer base in Denver and throughout the
country. She is working to break through color and gender barriers so that her
work can be seen and appreciated wholly, and without bias.
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| Summer Nights © Rochelle Johnson |
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| Boating © Rochelle Johnson |
Rochelle Johnson is an artist on the rise, and one to collect and watch. To learn more about the artist, and to see more of her work, visit her website at www.rochellejohnsonstudio.com.
“Follow your heart and follow your passion and let it lead
you.”
-Rochelle Johnson
All images are © copyrighted by the artist unless otherwise noted. Images cannot be reproduced without permission of the artist.
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