Feverish Art: Prints and Fine Art

Creature Show at Red Delicious Press

2011-01-01T20:22:00.004-05:00

Please join me for the opening reception on Friday, January 14th from 6-8pm. I will be featuring new prints and sculptural shadow boxes. The show runs from Jan. 14th to Feb 26th, Come one come all and bring friends!

Red Delicious Press, 9901 East 16th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80010

http://www.reddeliciouspress.com/

Engraving Workshop at Abecedarian Gallery!

2010-08-02T01:49:00.004-04:00

I will be teaching a workshop in conjunction with Abecedarian Gallery:

Relief Engraving Printmaking

Sunday August 29, 2010

12:30 - 4:00pm

Learn the art of wood engraving! We will use High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) to carve small-scale compositions we will print by hand. Learn how to use a traditional engraving burin as well as how to lay out a black and white composition, and carve intricate line work into the material.

For this workshop I will supply high-impact styrene blocks, paper, ink and a set of basic tools for students to use during the workshop. The workshop will be held at Alicia Bailey’s studio, which is just north of Lowry.

Workshop fee is $65 including materials

To hold your space for this workshop, send a non-refundable deposit of $25 to
Abecedarian Gallery 910 Santa Fe, #101, Denver, CO 80204
or you can fax/mail credit card info to 303.479.9556
(include 3 digit CCV & billing address please)
For more information contact Alicia Bailey, alicia@abecedariangallery.com
720.282.4052 or 303.340.2110

Summertime Craziness!!!

2010-06-29T10:12:00.005-04:00

This week I head out to South Dakota for the fabulous "Frogman's Print and Paper Workshop" where I will be assisting and taking the classes of two very talented artists.

First up is books with Bonnie Stahlecker. Back in 2001, my first year at Frogman's, Bonnie was teaching books next door to my engraving class. I was so amazed by her books that I told myself i would take her class next time she taught at Frogman's. So, 8 years later, I will be learning how to emboss leather book covers using a linoleum cut. (An artist book using the embossing technique by Bonnie Stahlecker is below.)

Second is metal engraving with James Ehlers, a professor of engraving at Emporia State University in Kansas. You can check out his incredible work at http://www.jamesehlers.org/. Carving on metal is such a vastly different experience than carving on endgrain or resin. I tend to think in relief, and so I hope to break out and think in the positive for at least a week.

More to come about the adventures in Vermillion! Happy Printing to all this summer!

Feature on The Fancy Tiger Blog!

2010-06-03T11:21:00.002-04:00

If you are interested in learning more about my work check out this blog, and come by the Fancy Tiger on Friday June 4!

http://fancytigerclothing.blogspot.com/2010/05/june-denver-made-interview-johanna.html

First Friday at THE FANCY TIGER!

2010-05-13T12:19:00.009-04:00

Aside from an awesome name, The Fancy Tiger is an awesome homegrown retail store. Owner Matthew Brown represents Denver's best clothing and accessories designers and local jewelry artists. The first friday of every month The Fancy Tiger hosts a Denver artist or designer for "Denver Made," a monthly trunk show series allowing designers to showcase their wares set to the cozy environment and sweet tunage of The Fancy Tiger.

My prints and handmade sculptures, cards and books will be featured in June for

"Denver Made"

So join me and see what's new at The Fancy Tiger,

JUNE 4, 2010 7-10pm

14 South Broadway

Denver CO

My prints will be available for viewing and sale through the month of June at The Fancy Tiger

Check them out at: http://www.fancytiger.com/events.clothing.html

Classes at Anderson Ranch

2010-05-13T12:15:00.006-04:00

The Most Fabulous Jennifer Ghormley will be teaching at Anderson Ranch this summer. For those in need of a brush up on their Digital Printmaking skills, please visit the link below and sign up for the class!

p.s. who wouldn't want to spend their summer in Aspen, Colorado with fabulous art making facilities?

Dearest Printmakers,

Still in the dark about the digital revolution?

Nervous to run fabric or weird things through your printer?

Not sure how to print an etching over a digital print?

Or do you just need to spend a week experimenting and trying new things???

Anderson Ranch Art Center is hosting a traditional/digital printmaking workshop this summer called Print Fusion. Check it out! {A few scholarships are still available for those who qualify}

http://www.andersonranch.org/workshops/courses/details/index.php?page=printmaking&id=2476

Raindrops

2010-01-07T21:41:00.003-05:00

This print will be featured in the portfolio: Tempus Fugit ("Time Flies")

Raindrops fall and cleanse, wipe away memory. Breath flows from heart to mind to mouth, each moment is a breath, time flying by.

Green Springs Opening!

2009-12-01T19:14:00.002-05:00

George Mason University Printmaker's Guild Presents:

Gifts from the Garden

at Green Springs Garden Park

4603 Green Springs Road

Alexandria, VA 22312

703-642-5173

Come see the beautiful exchange portfolio on view in the main building.

Opening Reception: Sunday, Dec 6, 2009 from 1-3pm

The exhibit will be on display from December 1 through January 30, 2009

Ink-N-Print Opening

2009-12-01T19:10:00.003-05:00

From Your Heart to Your Brain

2009-10-16T23:13:00.000-04:00

Classes at Potomac Arts Academy

2009-09-17T07:49:00.003-04:00

I am teaching on Saturdays at George Mason's Potomac Arts Academy located in the New Fine Arts Building:

Artful Animals I :: 6 Week Session

9:30 -11am (Room L004) Grades 3-5

11am- 12:30pm (Room L004) Grades 6-8

Session 1: September 19, 26; October 3, 10, 17, 24
Session 2: November 7, 14, 21; December 5, 12, 19

Adult Drawing Classes :: 8 Sessions beginning Oct 3

(Room 2049)

1-2:30pm

more information at http://www.potomacacademy.org/

MFA Thesis: Chapter 2

2009-09-15T21:02:00.004-04:00

I was fortunate as a child to be exposed to animals in literature at an early age. The tales of Aesop, James Herriot, Anna Sewell, Walter Farley and Jack London graced the “kids shelf” on our bookshelf. The tales were invigorating, and we let our imaginations go wild. My brothers and I would scan the pages of a National Geographic picture encyclopedia of mammals, pick out our animal, and then act the part. We wrestled each other to the ground, heads first like the elk; one of us would scamper up on a table as the other paced below like a monkey in a tree with a lion below; at top speed we dashed through the kitchen and into the yard as the fleet-footed gazelle outran the cheetah. Actual animals were overkill in a house with four kids with active imaginations. Nonetheless, my siblings and I constantly lobbied for pets, which came much later at an age of responsibility.

Perhaps due to my tomboyish attitude, I rejected dolls and cherished a collection of animals. I had many stuffed toys that I named and cared for as if they were real, hoping for a Velveteen Rabbit moment. My aunt made me a knick-knack shelf to display my small glass animals, plastic horses, onyx donkey and polar bear, flocked squirrel and cat with mirror eyes my grandmother gave me, and countless other treasures. Arranging the shelf was a ritual for me, calling each piece by name, dusting it off, and replacing it on the shelf. I treated the animals in my collection with the reverence of an idol, and in this process the real animals they represented were becoming sacred in my mind as well. And yet they were not so sacred that I could not indulge in playing with them, or creating a life for them. I believed they wanted to be warm on snowy nights, or that I must rotate their position on the shelf so they could visit with their friends. These wants of the objects made them akin to fetish objects, but overall they were my friends and comforts, and because “the animal itself is also the totem” (Mitchell, p. 178), they became totemic objects, wanting to be my friend and companion (Mitchell, p. 194).

Having such an affinity for animals, they became my favorite subjects to draw. I copied them from photos, illustrations from my favorite books or popular “How to Draw…” manuals. I began combining animal types and decorating them with Technicolor pattern, such as a giraffe head and neck with the body of a lion, covered in spots and stripes of all colors. I was making work that resembled the “marginal hybrids” of medieval manuscripts, “referred to as ‘hybrids’ because they appear to have the features of two, three, or even more different animals” (Morrison, p. 71). These animals and the decorative look of manuscripts would prove a source of great inspiration in upcoming artworks.

Figure 1. Detail from childhood drawing of animal with pawed front feet, hoofed back feet and wings. Crayon on construction paper, c. 1990.

As I became interested in art in high school and college, my subject matter was swayed by academia and I drew still lives, portraits and other typical subject matter, trying to work in an animal whenever I could. During this early art school phase I made awful art, drawing what I thought the professor would want, or whatever the assignment was: fortune cookies, popcorn, still lives straight from a box of junk in the art closet. My printmaking class was the first to allow open subject matter, because the technique alone was so demanding. My professor, E.C. Cunningham, suggested I look at literary themes such as fairy tales and myth. This opened up a door for me to use animals as characters and symbols in my work. Animals allowed me to be confident in my subject matter so that I could focus on technique. As I built my skill base, my work was becoming more cohesive; concepts were building on animals as metaphors for personal situations and feelings.

Group Exhibition at Reyes+Davis

2009-08-30T14:30:00.006-04:00

"Carnivore"

This piece is about life cycles and the repetition of emotions, thoughts and actions that serve to bring us from one part of life to another.
On View at Reyes+Davis Independent Exhibitions

923 F Street, NW #302

Washington, DC 20004

September 11 - October 16 2009

Opening Reception Friday September 11, 6:30pm-9pm

Featuring the work of Gallery Artists Jeff Huntington, Judy Jashinsky, Pepa Leon, Michael Enn Sivet, and Johanna Mueller. www.reyesdavis.com

Printmaking Classes! Tell all your Friends!!!!

2009-07-28T18:50:00.007-04:00

I will be teaching a relief printmaking class at the Arlington Arts Center Tuesdays the 4th and the 11th of August, 7- 9:30pm. The cost is $40 and a small materials fee. I will be teaching linoleum and wood block carving using hand printing.

It should be a good time! Contact the Arlington Art Center to sign up or for more information at 703-248-6800.

http://www.arlingtonartscenter.org

Frogman's Print and Paper Workshop

2009-07-08T22:48:00.003-04:00

(Copper plates and stages of a print, by Oscar Gillespie.)

I attended Frogman's Print and Paper workshop this last week, and as always had an amazing week. Frogman's is the child of Lloyd Menard, recently retired professor emeritus of the University of South Dakota (USD) in Vermillion, SD. What started as a renegade camping workshop with tents and printing presses in the Black Hills is now a flourishing workshop hosted in the classrooms of the art department of USD. Every year, Frogman's invites the finest professors in the nation to teach their craft for a week. If you are at all interested in prints or printmaking, it is for beginners and advanced printers. Check it out at http://www.frogmans.net/Workshop.htm.

Every year I meet amazing people, get a chance to talk shop, trade printing secrets, trade prints, and watch people go crazy at the local bowling alley and karaoke bar. This year I took metal engraving with Oscar Gillespie. Oscar is a world renown metal engraver and his prints are some of my all time favorites.

Copper engraving by Oscar Gillespie, based on a Leonard Baskin sketch of a beast

Many of the links listed on the side are notable printmakers from the workshop--check them out!

Group Exhibition

2009-06-03T19:33:00.004-04:00

Reyes + Davis Group Exhibition

Opening Reception: Friday, June 5, 2009

Exhibition Dates: June 3-29, 2009

more information at www.reyesdavis.com

MPA Strictly Painting

2009-06-03T19:27:00.003-04:00

Join me for Opening Night: Thursday, June 18 7-9pm

This biennial juried exhibition presents the work of artists exploring the medium of painting who reside in the Mid-Atlantic region. Juried by well-known independent curator Vivienne Lassman, the exhibit includes works by twenty four artists who were chosen from almost two hundred entrants.

M c L E A N P R O J E C T F O R T H E A R T S

1234 INGLESIDE AVENUE, McLEAN,VIRGINIA 22101

IN RESIDENCE AT THE McLEAN COMMUNITY CENTER

PHONE: 703.790.1953 WWW.MPAART.ORG

2009-05-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year again... ART-O-MATIC!

This year the building is at 55 M Street, S.E. (at the corner with Half Street)

Washington, DC 20003

My space is on the 7th floor, near the bar and Art-o-matic store, overlooking the National Ballpark. Purchase work you see at Art-o-matic through PayPal on my official website http://www.johannamuellerprints.com.

Hope to see you there!

Opening Night: May 29

Exhibition runs May 29– July 5, 2009

Hours of Operation:

Wed-Thurs 5pm-10pm

Fri-Sat 12noon-1pm

Sunday 12noon-10pm

Metro stop: Green Line, Navy Yard, Ballpark exit
Free admission. Donations accepted.

More information at http://www.artomatic.org

2009-05-16T22:57:00.004-04:00

I am a real artist now! I graduated this week from George Mason University with an MFA in Printmaking!

And now, the first installment of my thesis paper, for those who are interested:

1. Why Animals?

“We patronize the animals for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, congruent with ourselves in the net of life and time…”

— Henry Beston (Writer and Naturalist)

Animals become metaphors in my work, often used as self-portraiture or portraits of others or as symbols for a situation or human emotion. Many scholars have argued that animals were the first metaphors in human language, and as John Berger remarks, “the first subject matter for painting was animal. Probably the first paint was animal blood. Prior to that, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the first metaphor was animal” (Mitchell, p. 185). However, animals as subject matter are questioned in contemporary art and frequently overlooked.

Although animals are often found in artworks of the European masters, they likely play a secondary role or are in service to humans, such as the dog at the feet of the couple in Van Eyck’s Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife, Giovanna Cenami, or the horses ridden by Albrecht Dürer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Non-western primitive cultures used the animal in conjunction with the human as in Egyptian, Indian and Native American art. These civilizations were eventually colonized by the West, leading to degradation of their artwork and the idolatrous branding of their animal gods. The Western influence subconsciously lurks in the heads of most Western critics, and my own professors often asked in critique sessions why I use animals as my subject matter. I found the question “Why animals?” ridiculous at first, why paint portraits, or print landscapes, or draw still lives? I was asked in a critique why I hadn’t used the human figure, and I replied, “They are not interesting to me right now.” This has been the same reason throughout history, from Aesop to the Ogallala, to Orwell, that “all these types of stories used animal characters as symbols of human behaviors and actions—–either those to imitate or to avoid. The substitution of animals for humans often made the messages in the stories more palatable or, at the very least, more entertaining” (Morrison, p. 57).

In this tradition, my artwork revolves around a narrative that incorporates metaphor and symbol. The stereotypes that accompany animal characters in Aesop, Grimm, the Bible, and bestiary writings have influenced my own metaphors for the animals. However, when the animal enters my print, it takes on the meaning of the narrative I have given it. My work is quite different in its intentions than a traditional bestiary or “book of beasts,” which “was a collection of stories about creatures both real and fanciful in which the characteristics seen as typical of a particular animal were ascribed moral or Christian meaning” (Morrison, p. 64), and thus most read as parables, describing the animal and how it related to the way life should be lived, although some read as pseudo-scientific record of animal life. I have taken meaning from Aesop, Grimm, Anderson, and folk stories of other origins, adding layers of meaning to make the animal something new in my narratives.

Carnivore: New For Art-O-Matic

2009-05-07T10:20:00.001-04:00

Carnivore, 4.5" x 3.5"

Relief Engraving

Engraving Classes!

2009-04-13T08:50:00.003-04:00

I will be teaching plastic plate engraving this summer at Reyes+Davis Independent Exhibitions, in the heart of Washington, DC. I will walk students through designing a drawing for engraving, transferring drawing to plates, carving, hand printing, and editioning their work.

Please join me Tuesday and Thursday evenings in June, from 6:30-8:30 pm at 923 F Street. Cost $300, with $50 material fee. Please email me at feverishart@yahoo.com for more information.

New Mixed Media Monotypes

2009-04-13T08:43:00.004-04:00

Dog and Antelope, 2009

Falling Dogs, 2009

Reyes+Davis Opening: March 6, 2009; 6:30-9pm

2009-02-24T23:17:00.003-05:00

Please join me for the opening of my first solo show in DC at Reyes+Davis Independent Exhibitions on Friday, March 6, from 6:30-9pm!

I will be speaking on Saturday, March 21, from 2-4 pm in the gallery space about my concepts, stories, and processes with Helen Frederick. Please come to gain insight on the stories surrounding the prints and the printmaking process.

Reyes+Davis Independent Exhibitions,

923 F Street NW #302

Washington DC 20004

Wed-Fri 1-6pm; Sat 1-5pm; and by appointment

Publish Post

MFA show photos

2009-02-14T11:17:00.003-05:00

Artist Book

MFA Thesis Show!!!

2009-01-23T08:45:00.002-05:00

Finally! the hard work has paid off, the show is up on the walls!

My Thesis Exhibition, Creature Alterations, Myth & Transformations, is open for viewing Jan. 22 - 30, 10am - 7pm

Join me for the opening reception on Sunday, January 25th

from 2 -4pm, snacks and drinks, and lots of great art!

Reminder: HOLIDAY ART SHOW & SALE AT STUDIO 4903!

2008-12-09T11:26:00.004-05:00

Hand-made books, small paintings, hand printed holiday cards, and prints, of course!

Saturday and Sunday December 13 & 14, 2008; 12 - 5pm

Studio 4903

4903 Wisconsin Ave, NW

Second Floor

Tenleytown, Washington, DC 20016

New Artwork on the Web!

2008-12-09T11:21:00.004-05:00

I just updated my new website with lots of new prints! Check them out at www.johannamuellerprints.com- you can purchase through paypal!

Holiday Happy Hour!

2008-12-01T09:50:00.005-05:00

Warm yourself up at the HOLIDAY HAPPY HOUR, hosted by REDEEM!

Handmade cards and small prints will be available for sale! A perfect gift awaits!

Where: Redeem

1734 17th Street

Washington, DC 20009

When: Friday December 5

6 - 9pm

Link to Redeem on the Right! Check them out!

HOLIDAY SHOW & SALE!

2008-12-01T09:38:00.005-05:00

Studio 4903 Holiday Show and Sale!

I will be exhibiting my prints along with hand made holiday cards and hand made books!

Ten other artists will be participating, showing hand made jewelry, paintings, accessories, and ceramics! Drinks and snacks provided, and lots of gift opportunities! Support local artists and give something totally unique this holiday!

Where: Studio 4903

4903 Wisconsin Avenue NW

2nd Floor

Washington, DC 20016

When: December 13 & 14

12 - 5pm

www.johannamuellerprints.com

2008-11-24T11:04:00.002-05:00

NEW WEBSITE!

Announcing the official website! www.johannamuellerprints.com!

View art online! Purchase prints through paypal!

See upcoming events and shows! Contact me directly!

Resume and Artist Statement available!

Check it out!

Save the Date: March 6!

2008-11-03T09:13:00.004-05:00

Just found out the dates to the solo show at Reyes+Davis!

Please join me for the Opening Friday March 6, 2009

The show will run through April 10 2009.

More information to follow!

www.reyesdavis.com

Day of the Dead Celebration

2008-10-19T17:34:00.005-04:00

I'll be participating in a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) show sponsored by Art Outlet. Dia de los Muertos is a time to celebrate and remember our ancestors and friends past, and a happy reminder of our own mortality, a chance to live each day fuller!

Where: Almaz Restaurant

1212 U Street, Washington, DC 20050

1/2 block from U Street metro stop

When: Oct 31 & Nov 1

7:30pm - midnight-ish

Who: Featuring live altars and Dia de los Muertos themed artwork by local artists

Live music from American Skinner (folk rock), Highballers (country),

and DJ Uncle Eric, (electronica)

Make a Sugar Skull with artist Heather Schmaedeke

Dress in costume if you want and be sure to bring an offering to one of the live altars! Drinks available at the restaurant bar, so bring a friend, it should be a rollicking good time!

more info at www.artoutlet.org

Guest Artist at Redeem!

2008-10-14T18:28:00.005-04:00

My artwork will be featured this week at Redeem: Urban Clothing and Accessories in honor of their 2 year anniversary!

WHEN: Opening party: Sunday October 19, 1:30pm-3:30pm

Art on display through the week of Oct. 20-25th

WHERE: Redeem @ 1734 14th Street, NW

Washington, DC

(Near 14th and S, close to U Street/African American Civil War Memorial Metro on Green and Yellow line)

Check them out online at www.redeemus.com!

Please come and bring a friend! Redeem has edgy denim and urban chic clothing for guys and gals, and unique accessories too! Mimosas and Hot Toddies will be served alongside munchies in honor of two very successful years of business! If you haven't checked out Redeem, this is the perfect opportunity!

Studio 4903 Art Market

2008-10-06T22:26:00.007-04:00

What: Studio 4903 Art Market

Where: 4903 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

2nd Floor

Washington DC 20016

When: Saturday, Nov. 1 and Sunday Nov. 2 2008

12noon - 5pm

Twelve artists display their wares at Studio 4903: Gorgeous handmade jewelry, skillfully crafted ceramics, intense watercolors, paintings, photos, and prints!

Come by to see what's new, pick up some hand-printed cards or that print you were eyeing at the last show! Munchies and drinks provided! Get a jump on the holidays and support local artists!

Public Transport:

Red Line to Tenley Town; walk .48mi North to 4903

or 36 or 31 (Friendship Heights) Bus to Ellicot Street

Holy Cow, Barking Dog

2008-07-29T21:42:00.002-04:00

Mixed media monoprint, 2008. 22"x 15"

Vessel

2008-06-29T21:35:00.000-04:00

Resingrave Engraving, 2006 5"x 4" SOLD OUT

The Funeral

2008-06-29T21:26:00.006-04:00

Resingrave Engraving, 2004 4" x 5" $70

Spoiled

2008-06-29T21:04:00.007-04:00

Plastic Plate Engraving, 2004 8"h x 8"w $150

Irish Elk

2008-06-29T20:59:00.006-04:00

Plastic Plate Engraving, 2008 3.5" x 6" $70

Dog Out of Water

2008-06-29T20:56:00.005-04:00

Plastic Plate Engraving, 2008 7" x 5" $100

Levitations

2008-05-11T10:12:00.005-04:00

Wood Engaving, 2004 6" x 4"
SOLD OUT

Lioness, Enlightened

2007-09-10T21:42:00.002-04:00

Plastic Plate Engraving, 9.5"x8" $200
This piece is based on the Buddhist story of Muchalinda, a five-headed snake who came to guard the Buddha when he was trying to achieve enlightenment through meditation. Demons began taunting the Buddha and Muchalinda protected him. The notion that ugly or scary beings can guard the good against equally devious forces fascinates me.

The lioness, my symbol of strength and resolve in the feminine form, is under the Bodhi tree, a fierce creature guards her from any incoming harm. While his face and teeth are menacing, his body becomes human, with feet in a lotus position at the bottom. The ugly and unfortunate moments in life usually guide us to revelation, but one must be strong and resolved to make it through these moments.

Built Up, Build Out

2007-09-10T09:13:00.004-04:00

Plastic Plate Engraving, 2007 4"x9" $110

She Howls

2007-09-10T09:12:00.002-04:00

Plastic Plate Engraving, 2007 6.75"x6" $110

Wish You Were

2007-09-10T09:11:00.004-04:00

Plastic Plate Engraving, 2007 7"x8" $110

War

2007-09-10T08:58:00.003-04:00

Wood Engraving, 2004 5"x7" $80
The lion becomes the god of war with antlers and the power to suck in and spit out the casualties that he creates.

Preparation, Investigation

2007-09-10T08:51:00.002-04:00

Plastic Plate Engraving, 2005 4"x6" $70