Today we’d like to introduce you to Kysa Johnson.
Kysa, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was always interested in the how’s and why’s and what’s of things, and in drawing things. When I was in High School in Connecticut, I had this phenomenal AP Chemistry teacher (shout out Mr. Francis!) who sparked in me an immense excitement for the natural world. He got me hooked on science right at the time I was extricating myself from a very dogmatic religion. Here was a world where my questions were welcomed and encouraged instead of shut down and vilified and a new love was born. Somehow, I didn’t think to merge my two interests of science and art until my final year as an Undergrad at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. I was reading laymen’s books on Quantum Physics and I came across images of particle decay patterns (the pathways that unstable particles travel on as they decay into other more stable particles.) They are gorgeous and I was like oh my god, the universe is drawing at this fundamental physical level! I became obsessed with these individual patterns and they formed an alphabet for my work. Everything I’ve done since then in some way stems from that discovery.
I had to come back to the US in 1998 and worked a slew of part-time jobs in New York. One at the Dumbo Arts Center really got me involved in the art world there. I had my first group show in NY there and through that my first gallery Roebling Hall. A solo show at the Aldrich Museum got me interested in doing big wall drawings and installations which has remained a big part of my work ever since. I’ve been lucky enough to do some big wall and full room drawings in places like Dublin and the Canary Islands since then. I started working with Morgan Lehman Gallery in about 2008 and they have been a huge support over the past 10 years. In 2010 my husband and I had our son and 2014 we had our daughter. In 2015 we moved our family to LA for my husband’s work. It’s been the most amazing thing. I love LA, there’s a really reciprocal energy here. The art community is very supportive and open and communal. I’ve met an amazing group of artists that I find continually inspiring and I was lucky enough to have a show at Von Lintel Gallery in Culver City last summer that I am really proud of. I’m truly thankful we ended up here.
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