We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Johanna Riddle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Johanna , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

For twenty five years, I worked in arts education in my community and state as a museum curator, an arts administrator, a board member of several arts non-profit organizations, and an art instructor from pre-K through university. I loved my work, but I’d let my work as an artist take a back seat. Now I was going home. I was making the leap from talking about the art on the wall to creating the art on the wall. And it scared me! What if I wasn’t “good enough?” My style and use of materials is unique. What if my paintings were rejected? I had a positive reputation in the arts community. What if everybody heard about it and thought, “And she’s been teaching about this all these years?” All of my insecurities rose to the surface.
I will never forget my inaugural gallery review. I had a general idea of what it should include. I prepared an artist statement and bio and a page of prices. I recognized several members of the review committee as respected and accomplished artists. I looked like I had it all under control, but on the inside, I was a mess! Fortunately, they believed in me more than I believed in myself. My work was voted unanimously into the gallery—my work broke free of the walls of my studio door and made its way into the lives of others.

Johanna , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Art has always been a big part of my life— it’s in my blood. My mother and aunt were both art majors. Several works painted by my grandmother hang on the walls of my home. I received a lot of encouragement and license to create early on, and that had a huge impact. I was also free to raid their paintboxes, so often had access to media and tools that many children simply couldn’t get their hands on. I was a quiet and introverted child, and was very happy to work for hours on my own.
My past experience in talking and teaching about art is evidenced by the fact that every aspect of my work—the materials, the layering, the symbolism, the color choices, the subject matter, the technique—all focus on meaning-making. It goes far beyond composing and executing a pretty piece of art. It’s about the layers and interplay of life experiences, the delicate dance of relationships that binds everything together, the hidden meanings and truths to be found in the everyday. It is a gentle nudge that encourages the viewer to be alive and sensitive to our connection to the spiritual, the natural and each other. I often write about my work, and include that writing on the reverse of the frame. I hope to reach across that space between the work and the viewer, to help them overlay their experiences and responses and create a deeper, fresher meaning. That’s where the magic of art lies—in that space, in that connection.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

We are living in a time of randomness and insecurity. We need beauty now, more than ever. We need joy now, more than ever. We crave those glimpses of wholeness, of design, of connection. In the face of limitation and despair, we need a glimpse the infinite creativity of the universe. We need to see how connected we are, to the world, to the natural environment, to each other. That’s what I hope my art reflects. I hope people find that in themselves when they interact with my work.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I spent way too much time worrying about what others thought, and how I and my work would be perceived and received. Fear holds us back from so much! It is an enormous waste of time. Here’s the truth: we all have something valuable to contribute to life. We can only make that contribution if we are our authentic selves. And that means risk-taking and vulnerability. It requires that we learn about ourselves and that we share what we learn with others. Is it scary? Yes! We will make mistakes? Absolutely. Should we do it anyway? Of course! I always tell people that my life is composed of two books: a thin volume titled Successes I am Proud Of and a much heftier volume titled Successes I’m Not So Proud Of. Because every time we get out there and pitch, every time we take an uncalculated step or risk vulnerability, we’re learning, we’re growing, we’re getting better. I would only add that we must give ourselves a little grace along the way, and offer ourselves the same compassion and understanding that we offer to others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.johannariddle.com/
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

The Museum of Arts and Sciences, Daytona Beach, Florida
Ormond Memorial Art Museum, Ormond Beach, Florida