Meet Talia Johns | Fiber Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Talia Johns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Talia, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
“Give up” isn’t in my vocabulary. If I want something, I believe I should pursue it. As an artist, I think I am more likely to be aware of my own shortcomings and instead of giving up, choose to further my education to overcome an obstacle. There is always going to be someone who is better than me so why worry about it. I want to pursue my dreams and ideas anyway. Fear of failure is always there, but that is what keeps me striving to perform my best. Making it about the process freed me to explore without comparison. Realizing that failure is part of the process makes it easier to continue towards my goals. A lot of my art practice is experimental and explorational. Making it a point to create something everyday releases me from the creative block and allows me to explore different artistic directions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a Ukrainian-American fiber artist. I create environmentally conscious 3D fiber and mixed media pieces that include felt, paper-cut, weaving, drawing and collage. It’s impossible to talk about my art journey without talking about the place I grew up. I was born in Ukraine and still have family and friends there. At a time when the Russian invasion threatens to erase my country from the face of the Earth, everything else seems very trivial and unimportant. The pain never leaves. My artwork, however, became more clean, fresh and uplifting. One of the first pieces I created after the start of the full scale invasion was “Rebirth” series of paper sculptures that represents rebirth, renewal and impermanence of life and my way of dealing with the mental challenges of war and violence. The series is based on the Ukrainian symbol of Pysanka (Ukrainian Easter egg).
“I will keep you warm” refers to the hope of keeping your loved ones from literally freezing, because of destroyed civilian infrastructure.
Another series of paper collages were created to represent the cityscapes with its lights and sounds, resilience and resistance to the everyday bombings of Ukrainian cities.
“Spring Eternal” is another message of hope created from the different size painted paper strips woven together to produce an illusion of seamless paper weaving and simplicity of design.
A large part of my art practice involves issues that affect everyone no matter their background: issues like the sustainability of planet resources and environmental preservation.

Repurposing and recycling is incorporated in the majority of my art by either repurposing existing items, using recycled and sustainable materials, or reusing pieces of old art in a new way.

I create my art with old magazine pages, wrappers, posters, ribbon, fabric, dryer sheets, and packaging materials, just to name a few examples. I try to be very conscious of the materials I purchase and try to mostly use recycled or sustainable supplies. My hope is that having art be created in this way triggers the viewers to have questions and gives me an opportunity to educate and inspire in a unique way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Definitely, nature! Hiking, biking and skiing in Keystone. https://www.keystoneresort.com/the-mountain/about-the-mountain/trail-map.aspx

Explore Red Rocks park and Amphitheater near Morrison in the morning.

Homepage

Find your next read at the Tattered Cover Aspen Grove book store in Littleton.
https://www.tatteredcover.com/

Visit Native Art galleries in the recently renovated Denver Art Museum.
https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/northwest-coast-and-alaska-native-art-galleries

Have a cup of coffee and a slice of pie at the Colorado Cherry Company in Lyons on the way to visit Estes Park.
https://www.coloradocherrycompany.com/

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
None of us succeeds by themselves. And while artistic pursuit is a solitary experience, family and friends are the ones who carry us through, support and encourage in a day to day struggles.

In 2021 I had an opportunity to participate in PlatteForum and NYFA coordinated artists mentorship program that helps immigrant artists to integrate into American culture while simultaneously preserving their unique identities by providing resources and know-how to launch their art careers in a different country. It was an immensely helpful program to me personally as it helped to launch my US art practice. I’m still extremely grateful for the experience, and credit the program for fostering my creative career.

https://platteforum.org/
https://www.nyfa.org/

Website: www.taliajohns.com

Instagram: @experiments.in.art