Artist Stacey Johnson

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artist stacey johnson

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Coast artist infuses emotion into handcrafted figures

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TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAREN BLAKENEY When I first met Ocean Springs artist Stacey Johnson, I was a little surprised. Viewing her art - vessels and sculptures with contorted faces exuding an assortment of emotions - had created an odd expectation that she would be a somber, tortured soul. Instead, I found a charming, gentle spirit with a quiet smile and a blueberry coffee cake waiting on her stovetop. While sipping coffee and enjoying warm cake, she gave me insight into the creation of her unique art. Her pieces usually begin with a title. “The rest of it flows naturally,” she says. “I try to keep the faces unforced, loose, and gestural.” Stacey has found that too much manipulation creates a “fussed over” appearance. “You can communicate a lot of emotion with a tiny splash of clay.” Stacey’s love of art began as a child. “I still have small creations I made in clay as a threeyear-old,” she laughs. With her mother and other close relatives working as artists, it seemed a natural path to

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follow. Growing up in the Mississippi Delta, she developed a respect for the “untrained work of the generally poverty-stricken and uneducated folk artists” in her community. She went on to study at Loyola; and after graduation, she viewed an Art Brut exhibit in New York City. The term, “Art Brut,” was coined by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe the raw art of insane asylum inmates. Art Brut and Southern folk art have similar qualities that Stacey immediately recognized and admired. These genres have been a major influence in her work. “You gravitate toward certain artists,” she explains. “Certain components of their work seep into your style. That’s how you grow as an artist.” Dedication to her craft has allowed her to amass a compelling body of work. “I just have to do it,” she says. “Even if work is created and no one ever sees it, that’s OK with me.” But, indeed, Stacey’s work has an audience. She is currently represented by Fischer Galleries

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIS SIMMONS NICHOLAS

of Jackson and Southside Gallery of Oxford. Closer to home, her work may be purchased or viewed at Hillyer House in Ocean Springs. Stacey also has a line of functional cups and vessels which she sells online (www.staceyjohnsonart.etsy.com). In creating these smaller works of art, she drew upon the down-to-earth style of Southern folk art face jugs, primarily created by African-American slaves. “My versions are simply modern translations, meant to be loved and enjoyed - not put on a shelf!” I couldn’t leave without asking Stacey about her self-portraits, possibly the source of my initial misguided expectations. She smiled knowingly and explained: “I don’t mean for (them) to come across as depressed, angst-ridden; but I work from my own turmoil … I don’t do self-portraits when I’m happy and content. It’s like journaling or therapy.” Having completed several major pieces for a recent exhibition, Stacey is already eager to begin a new series of work featuring large bird figures. “It’s something I’m compelled to do,” she says. “I can’t imagine my life without art.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT LOWERY, LOWERY PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY IMAGING SERVICES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI