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Valerian and St. John’s Wort
oil and ground pigments on handmade paper
20.25 x 24.5 in
2025
I am a multidisciplinary artist exploring alternative material and relationships with our more-than-human companions. My practice explores transformation and the use of provisional materials. Through dreams, fantasy, practicality, escapism, and speculation, I work towards imagining possibilities of the present and future. The surface of this painting is handmade paper created from waste textiles, which has been collected from friends and acquaintances. The ground pigments include wood ashes from gatherings around bonfires, and eggshells from home kitchens. This painting is from a series called "Digital Backpack."
Whitney Johnson-Lessard
@whitneyjohnsonlessard
Whitney Johnson-Lessard is an artist based in Peoria, Illinois. She received a BFA in Painting from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Art Theory and Practice from Northwestern University. She has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions nationally. She has been awarded a number of grants, including support from the Arts Partners of Central Illinois, and the Illinois Arts Council. She has recently been a resident at Alderworks Artist's and Writer's Retreat in Dyea, Alaska. She is a professor and teaches at Bradley University and Illinois Central College.
Valerian and St. John’s Wort
oil and ground pigments on handmade paper
20.25 x 24.5 in
2025
I am a multidisciplinary artist exploring alternative material and relationships with our more-than-human companions. My practice explores transformation and the use of provisional materials. Through dreams, fantasy, practicality, escapism, and speculation, I work towards imagining possibilities of the present and future. The surface of this painting is handmade paper created from waste textiles, which has been collected from friends and acquaintances. The ground pigments include wood ashes from gatherings around bonfires, and eggshells from home kitchens. This painting is from a series called "Digital Backpack."
Whitney Johnson-Lessard
@whitneyjohnsonlessard
Whitney Johnson-Lessard is an artist based in Peoria, Illinois. She received a BFA in Painting from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Art Theory and Practice from Northwestern University. She has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions nationally. She has been awarded a number of grants, including support from the Arts Partners of Central Illinois, and the Illinois Arts Council. She has recently been a resident at Alderworks Artist's and Writer's Retreat in Dyea, Alaska. She is a professor and teaches at Bradley University and Illinois Central College.