Colorado Creatives: Rochelle Johnson

SUSAN FROYD | MARCH 2, 2020 | 11:17AM

A Denver native who grew up in Park Hill, Rochelle Johnson has her thumb on the pulse of the local African-American community. In turn, that’s inspired her as an artist: most specifically, the everyday interactions she’s observed between people of different origins as her neighborhood goes through gentrification. A graduate of the Rocky Mountain School of Art + Design, Johnson has developed a lovely and matter-of-fact view of the people around her as a painter, and a fierce desire to raise opportunities for black artists in galleries.

Much as she approaches her subject matter as a painter, Johnson isn’t so much polemical about bringing positive change as she is down-to-earth. Follow along as she sorts out her own quiet pathway by answering the Colorado Creatives questionnaire.

Westword: What (or who) is your creative muse?

Rochelle Johnson: I’m inspired by whatever idea comes into my mind when I least expect it. My muse comes at different times, and I always pay attention to it. If I don’t, it will find someone else.

Which three people, dead or alive, would you like to invite to your next party, and why?

I would love to party with Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, and Toni Morrison. The first two, who were painters, I looked to for inspiration in my early years. Both navigated their creativity in a world that was hostile to them. And Toni Morrison because I would love to ask more about her journey as a writer.

Rochelle Johnson's work on view for the solo exhibition Portrait of a City at the McNichols Building in February.Courtesy of Rochelle Johnson

What made you pick up a paintbrush in the first place?

I wanted to express myself in a medium I found sensual, to relay what I found beautiful.
What’s the best thing about the local creative community in your field — and the worst?

I found that the local creative community embraced me with open arms. The worst thing is that we all have our own journeys, which makes it hard to stay in contact with everyone.

Rochelle Johnson paints her neighbors in everyday scenes. Courtesy of Rochelle Johnson.

Denver (or Colorado), love it or leave it? What keeps you here — or makes you want to leave?

I grew up here. This is my home, and currently, in my life, I want to be close to my family.

What's the one thing Denver (or Colorado) could do to help the arts?

Denver needs to highlight people of color who are living in the city through gallery representation. I feel there is a lack of gallery representation specifically for black artists.
Rochelle Johnson accepts the Four Freedoms challenge at History Colorado.

What’s your dream project?

Right now I’m focused on receiving the Creative Capital Grant for a project I proposed to highlight African-Americans in cities where the black subject matter has a lower presence and visibility. I’d like to see them be better represented in galleries so the general public can find a more inclusive representation of all. To me, Colorado is lacking in that area.

Who is your favorite Colorado Creative?

There are so many that I can’t name one. I believe if you have the balls to be creative, I applaud you.

I plan to keep painting and to see where it leads me.

Who do you think will (or should) get noticed in the local arts community in the coming year?

I don’t know if I can answer that question...or let me put it this way: I’m rooting for us all. I think there is room for all of us.

Rochelle Johnson’s collaboration with Sylvia Montero will be included in the summer exhibition PinkProgression: Collaborations, opening on June 4 and running through August 23 at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada.

Johnson’s interpretation of “Fear” as one element of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms painting series will be unveiled at History Colorado, 1200 Broadway, as part of the museum’s Colorado Day celebration on August 1.

Keep up with Rochelle Johnson and her work on her website and on Facebook.

Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food, and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

CONTACT: Susan Froyd

FOLLOW:Facebook: Susan Froyd Twitter: @sosfrojd

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Rochelle Johnson.

Rochelle was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, where she discovered her passion for drawing at an early age. As a child, she discovered the work of Lois Mailou Jones and Jacob Lawrence and was further inspired by the Denver Black Arts Festival in the 1980s. The experience of meeting the artists and seeing their work ignited her passion for the Arts. In 1989, Johnson enrolled at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design where she learned to create stories using oils and watercolors. She attained a degree in Illustration in order to pursue a career in Commercial Art. In 1992, she moved to Seattle, Washington where she worked as a freelance designer, creating community theater posters and identity packages for local businesses. These opportunities paid the bills, but she became intrigued by the idea of being a story-teller through her work. In 1997, she entered the annual Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle Minority Art Exhibition where she sold her first noncommercial piece. In 1999, Johnson returned to Denver and eventually resumed pursuing the idea of storytelling through painting, a calling that had never left her consciousness. In 2005, her artwork was featured on the cover of the novel When a Sistah’s Fed Up, previously on Essence’s Top Ten List. Rochelle has been published in several journals the most notable being American Art Collector Magazine. Today, Johnson continues to create her own unique style in her Denver studio.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think the hardest part of my journey was when I tried selling my work out of a studio/gallery I opened in the Lincoln Park Neighborhood. I opened it about a year ago and I quickly learned that the location was not right for what I was trying to build. Not far from the Santa Fe Art Distrait but not on the stripe made for a harder time for foot traffic. I was successful at hosting several shows but could not sustain the audiences I needed to keep going. I also realized that I wanted to create the work and let someone else sell it. Today, I have been added to the roster of a gallery in Cleveland, Ohio and have had success there. My hope is to create the best art I can and be pick up by a few more galleries. This process is a struggle and I haven’t been able to get into any galleries in Denver.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I grew up in Park Hill, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city of Denver. Throughout my life, I have been a constant observer of the interactions between different sorts of people. Watching the ways that people react and relate to one another, both good and bad, has long been a curiosity of mine and that has inspired my current painting series, documenting the life and spirit of urban people.

My neighborhood is currently undergoing a process of gentrification. My paintings depict day-to-day life in the city while exploring how each person’s identity influences how they see the humanity and value of people outside their group. As a black women artist, the black narrative has been the focus of my paintings, but I can’t overlook new cultural interactions at play in the community around me. The gentrification in my neighborhood has forced me to confront its negative effects, such as the displacement of whole communities of long-time residents. Will urban life now be considered a luxury for elites only, or can the city become an intersection, where diverse groups learn to come together and can thrive together? As I observe these interactions, I capture what is important to me: unity.

My paintings largely reflect what I see in my community on a positive level. I feel too much negativity gets out into the world. I focus on portraits placed in an environment where people doing what comes naturally to them, I capture the energy and emotion of my subject matter. I believe if I paint an interaction of unusual encounters people will become familiar with those interactions and possibly change the norm. Much like the one black figure in the classical painting that people tend to overlook. My painting focuses on a narrative that is interactive in a way that single outs the sitter and draws curiosity. The question is can we live together.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over, I would have finish art school and then go to graduate school right after that. I would have followed my passion at a younger age instead of trying to go right to work. This business is so complex and the learning curve is steep. Every time I’m in the presence of high school students I tell them to follow there dreams no matter what that looks like for them.

Pricing:

Contact Stacey at Framed Gallery at 216-832-5101 for pricing
Rochelle Johnson Studio at 303-907-1913 for pricing

Contact Info:

Address: 2559 Glenarm Pl, Denver, Colorado
Website: www.rochellejohnsonstudio.com
Phone: 3039071913
Email: rochelle.johnson696@gmail.com
Instagram: @rochellejohnsonstudio
Other: Rochelle Johnson Studio