Dreamer by Bonita Johnston
I See You
Bonita Johnston
January 13 – March 2, 2024
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Unveiling the unique fusion of figurative drawing and crochet, Bonita Johnston, a San Diego-based artist presents yarn as a medium of artistic exploration. Johnston’s crochet wall hangings, crafted using traditional crochet, stitchery, and lacemaking techniques, pay homage to the historical significance of knot-making and stitchery in women’s traditional fabric creations.
Johnston’s work challenges the conventional perceptions of crochet, positioning it as a form of fine art, as her pieces hang in galleries alongside quilts, blurring the lines between craft and fine art.
“Throughout history, women have used knotmaking, stitchery, and lace to make beautiful fabrics for utilitarian purposes,” says Johnston. “Tablecloths, bedspreads, and clothing rose out of stitches and knots. Similar to quilt making, crochet has broken through the confines of craft and into the world of art for art’s sake. Crochet painting belongs beside oil and acrylic (and quilts) in galleries of fine art. My work is the marriage of figurative drawing to knots and stitches in yarn. ”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Art has been part of my life since I can remember picking up a pencil. I have explored (and continue to explore) many mediums and subject matters. I am forever fascinated by texture and form, and I particularly respond to art that leans toward expression rather than realism.
Freeform crochet came into my orbit during covid isolation and strongly resonated with my early art education at USC (BAFA) where I focused on figures in drawing, painting, and printmaking. I have always painted and drawn figures and portraits, but the yarn spoke to me in new and exciting ways, different from paint or pencil. Freeform allows me to bargain with the yarn and delight in how the medium helps to determine the composition, pose, and expression.
My typical process is to begin with making crochet eyes. From there I begin to surround the sockets and connect them with a forehead, a nose, etc, following basic human proportions and letting the yarn dictate colors, textures, and sometimes even shape. I frequently lose myself in the textures and colors, following the spiral or straight stitches where they might go. Eventually the yarn and I find our way to a finished product.
On occasion I use photos to help guide my use of values and proportions. A few of my pieces I have a drawing or sketched out an idea from the beginning, but more often I begin the piece and then an idea comes to mind, and at that point I sketch out where I might proceed.
Working in yarn, using crochet, speaks to me in other ways than color, shape, and texture. It connects me to centuries of women making art, throughout history. I love learning methods new to me but honed in earlier times by women supporting their families through their artistry. I find myself hanging my pieces on the wall as a statement arguing that women’s art through the ages is more than utilitarian and deserves the placement and recognition of the art world. From lacemaking to stitchery to knots, I find an endless and impressive trail to follow.
EXHIBITION GALLERY
