artist bio

 Drawing on her background as an art educator and administrator from the preschool through the university levels, Johanna Riddle combines painting, printmaking, mark-making, dyes, and chemical alterations to create layered mixed media collages. She experiments freely with media combinations, layering and arranging hand crafted and altered papers into small- and large-scale compositions.  Meditation, journaling, and communion with the natural world are integral to her work. Johanna’s award-winning art has been exhibited in juried venues, galleries, and museums. Her work was selected for inclusion in the 2023 International Exhibition of Collage Artists, and was featured in the 2022 edition of Art Folio: 100 of the World’s Most Exciting New Contemporary Artists. She is the author of Engaging the Eye Generation. Johanna’s research, writing, and teaching on the topic of visual literacy and meaning making is referenced in scholarly work around the world. It was recognized with a Fulbright Scholarship, a Smithsonian Learning Innovation Award, and is housed in the Smithsonian’s Museum of U.S. History Age of Information archives. Johanna was also recognized as Florida's Art Educator of the Year. She is active in the National Association of Women Artists and is past President of Beaux Arts of Central Florida. 

artist's statement

In the vastness of a world shaped by chance, I am drawn to the unseen threads that weave through all of existence—the delicate, mysterious connections that bind everything together. Though the perfect, flawless design remains elusive, there are moments when we glimpse its radiant harmony. These moments are a gift, a sacred invitation to witness the beauty and interconnectedness of all things. To be alive and attuned to these hidden energies is a profound blessing, one that fills me with wonder, and which I seek to express through my art.
My work is a reverent exploration of the natural world, where organic forms, raw materials, and universal themes of connection between humanity and the Earth converge. Central to my practice is the recurring image of the web—a symbol of the invisible currents of energy that flow through all living things, binding them in a cosmic dance. By juxtaposing what is seen and unseen, I endeavor to create a rich, layered tapestry that invites the viewer to contemplate their own intimate relationship with the Earth, and to feel the pulse of life that unites us all.
For me, paper is not simply a medium, but a living, breathing entity. It is a material full of spirit and possibility. I work with a variety of papers—rag, mulberry, rice—each with its own texture, history, and energy. I am captivated by paper's malleability, its ability to transform under the influence of paint, dye, ink, and the act of drawing. It is through these processes of experimentation and transformation that I connect with the material on a deeper level, allowing the paper to speak and reveal its own story. The presence of found papers, with their echoes of the past, further enriches the work, adding layers of meaning and resonance.
The act of layering and placing each piece of paper, of arranging and rearranging elements, is a quiet, meditative ritual—one that mirrors the unfolding of a life. There is a Zen-like stillness in the process: moments of intuition, flashes of insight, and the joyful discovery of unexpected harmonies between disparate parts. It is a dance of contrasts—tension and release, fragility and strength—that, over time, gives birth to a unified, cohesive whole. Through this slow, deliberate act of creation, I seek to channel the energies of the universe and offer a visual meditation on the infinite connections that weave us all together.

                                          SOLO SHOW:@ THE HUB