Octarine Women Artists' Collective
A Group of Eight Artists All Working in Different Media
This year’s exhibition features works shaded in octarine, the colour of magic and the pigment of the imagination!
Participating artists are Judy French, Carol Hughes, Kim Johnston, Jean Loney, Leslie Miles, Gail Root, Anne Smith, and Susan Strachan Johnson.
Great Big Love, oil by Kim Johnston.
A Land for All Seasons is the title for our 2017 exhibition, which takes place February 5 – March 5, 2017 at Homer Watson House and Gallery in Kitchener, Ontario. Opening reception is Sunday, February 5 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm.
The show is a collection of celebratory images of Canada, revealing an exuberant use of colour and a love for landscape. The styles range from realism to abstraction, and reflect the different ways each artist honours the peace, the openness, and the freedoms of this country.
Participating artists are: Deborah Dryden (encaustic), Carol Hughes (watercolour), Kim Johnston (oils, watercolour and pastel), Mary Karavos (paper collage), Jean Loney (mosaic), Leslie Miles (soft pastels and mixed media), Gail Root (oils and chalk pastel), and Susan Strachan Johnson (fibre mixed media).
…. At the Creativity Centre, La Grange, Texas. She has been working on painted art quilts for Eight Dimensions, and she will have several works in the same theme: Animals in Camouflage. It’s not finished yet, but here’s a work in process. Don’t miss our show, over the weekend of May 2, 3 and 4, 2014, at Studio 404, 404 York Road, Guelph, Ontario. For more information, call Gail Root at 519 856 4143, or Susan at 519 856 2364. See you there!
Biography
Susan studied Philosophy and History of Art at Leeds University (BA Hons), and Design and Craft with the City & Guilds Institute of London (Level 3 Diploma). Having been a painter all her life, she has also worked in fibre art since 2003. Among many other juried shows, she has shown by invitation at the 2003 Biennale in Florence, Threadworks 2004 and 2007, and the Grand National Quilt Show in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013. Awards include Best in Show in Threadworks 2004, the Fibre Art award at Insights (2006), and the Rebecca Burghardt Emerging Artist Award at Touched by Fire (2008).
Susan teaches workshops in fibre art techniques throughout Southern Ontario, and also offers private instruction in her studio, though her popular “Play for a Day” getaways. In addition to working in fibre, Susan accepts mural and church commissions, and paints portraits in watercolour and other media from photographs.
Artist’s Statement
My work is inspired by nature and the landscape around my home: I am an avid environmentalist. I work with distressed fibres, paper-and-textile combinations, and found objects; I also paint and dye my own materials. Recently my work has been increasingly realistic, and I have focused more on line and colour than stitch. Increasingly I am happy to just observe things; I often use shadows of myself to reinforce my role as a watcher, seeking not only to portray my surroundings, but also to comment upon them.
Website: www.strachanjohnson.com
Blog: www.strachanjohnson.com/blogspot
