Stephanie Johnson | File Modern Notes, Industrial Votives
Artist’s Statement
I grew up in Stone Ridge, New York, and went to college at SUNY New Paltz. I moved to the Boston area in 1987, and I’ve lived in West Acton for twenty years. I have a B.A. in Biology and a Master’s in Library Science. I have a built-in need for order and organization and an ever-increasing appreciation for the beauty and surprising utility of discarded objects.
The idea for File Modern Notes came to me when, at my day job, I moved into an office filled with years of papers in files and folders that didn’t really need to be kept. My notecards are made from recycled file folders and feature over 25 different ink-stamped designs, from botanicals to insects to mason jars and typeset symbols. In an attempt to create as little waste as possible, I also make gift tags, notepads, and bookmarks, which feature hand-drawn Zentangle-inspired designs in pen and ink.
My Industrial Votives, made from electrical knock-out boxes adorned with tea light candles and scraps of ribbon, rope, and twine, were born out of my love of found objects and frequent visits to the metal pile at the transfer station.
My aesthetic lies at the intersection of vintage and modern, old and new, reclaimed and upcycled.
I grew up in Stone Ridge, New York, and went to college at SUNY New Paltz. I moved to the Boston area in 1987, and I’ve lived in West Acton for twenty years. I have a B.A. in Biology and a Master’s in Library Science. I have a built-in need for order and organization and an ever-increasing appreciation for the beauty and surprising utility of discarded objects.
The idea for File Modern Notes came to me when, at my day job, I moved into an office filled with years of papers in files and folders that didn’t really need to be kept. My notecards are made from recycled file folders and feature over 25 different ink-stamped designs, from botanicals to insects to mason jars and typeset symbols. In an attempt to create as little waste as possible, I also make gift tags, notepads, and bookmarks, which feature hand-drawn Zentangle-inspired designs in pen and ink.
My Industrial Votives, made from electrical knock-out boxes adorned with tea light candles and scraps of ribbon, rope, and twine, were born out of my love of found objects and frequent visits to the metal pile at the transfer station.
My aesthetic lies at the intersection of vintage and modern, old and new, reclaimed and upcycled.