Johanna Bath
My work can be seen as a collage fueled by memory, by colors and shapes of imagination and sparks of inspiration that trigger this deeply felt urge to be painted. The idea of „time“ and everything that is linked to that emotionally such as memory, transience and the brevity of a moment is something that interest me as a subject. Time is abstract and therefore tricky to paint but when connected to our experience and memory, it is filled with sentiment and emotion. When painting, I am trying to give the invisible concept of time a shape - so my view on it can be seen and shared with the viewer. When painting I reflect on those narratives like purpose, meaning, time, timing and try to depict „a sense of time“ on canvas. My work should generate a feeling of calmness. I like the paintings to be serene and silent and although being about time and its movement, to represent a moment that is detached from it. We get to experience millions of moments in our lives - but each one only once. This simple fact never fails to inspire me.
I do like to switch between more collage-like larger pieces, that feel like a cosmos on its own, simple and blurred „anti-portraits“ which are not so much about the features but more about transporting a feeling and floral pieces, which started out as studies but became a whole series in 2020.
Could you tell us a little more about your background and how you began creating art?
I actually intended to become an Industrial designer after high-school but my internship got cancelled last minute so I needed a plan b. I randomly discovered a private school in Hamburg, teaching illustrationdesign and after finishing a 2 year education there, I felt like I needed more training. I applied for public art-school at HAW Hamburg and thankfully got in and then had the best time for the next 5 years. I enjoyed it so much as I was able to explore various creative ways to express things and soon realized that painting was very special to me. I started selling a couple of my works at the end of my studies but didn’t think being a painter was an option as I had no experience, to connections, etc. So I worked in a gallery first, then in a small company restoring and republishing comics and eventually moved back to the rural area I grew up in to pursue painting once more. But it was just until 5 years ago, after a major breakup, that I was suddenly dependent on myself and needed to figure out what to do so I took the leap and decided on becoming a painter and thankfully it worked out quite well.
What does your art aim to say to its viewers?
I am constantly circling around the concept of „time“ in my work and try to explore this subject and understand it more through painting. So I guess I am trying to share my view on time to the viewer, trying to convey a feeling linked to this sensation. Although I am dealing with a topic that is all about constant movement and transformation, I like to create work that is quiet and still, not loud, that offers a place to rest, a place to zone out when looking at it.
Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What is your daily routine when working?
I have a couple of different routines which depend on my mood or my time slot.
When tackling larger work, I like to start just like an abstract painter. This keeps the painting from getting too stiff and looking too staged. Playing freely with pigment and color, pouring paint on the canvas, just concentrating on its movement, how the paint acts when sinking into the surface and how certain color combinations work together. Then I go from there and add traits like plants, flowers, figures, naiv patterns and almost childlike marks and strokes and try to balance out the composition. So I have no idea where the painting will lead me.
With the smaller work and having a limited area to paint on, the painting itself is much more restricted and I am more focused on a certain detail or subject, such as a face, closeups of a hand, an interesting flower arrangement, a branch of a tree, etc.
My routine is also dependent on my schedule as I work with oil paints and tend to blur the paint quite often which needs to happen within a certain time slot. These paintings usually need to be done in one sitting whereas the larger pieces can be put away if they don’t work at the time and I can revisit them and try again the next day.
What is the essential element in your art?
Probably the haziness of most parts of the painting which give it a dreamlike quality. Also a small graphic element, a dot, a line, which stands in contrast to the soft and blurred out image. It became almost a signature „stamp“ in the last couple of years. I also like something to „disturb“ the painting and keep it from being too sentimental or corny.
In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society?
I can only speak for myself as there are so many approaches on „art“ and roles can be very different depending on what kind of art you are making. But I would say my job is to observe the world very carefully, to dissect it, to narrow down what excites me or interest me most about it and then to create something that mirrors my excitement, my vision, my inner world. And through the art, people can connect to that and hopefully it expands their view on the world, too. I don’t want to sound too hippie but when I reach this blissful state of flow while working, it feels like I am connected to this otherworldly source. So maybe I am just a mediator who shares the experience.
Website: www.johannabath.de
