Joanna Read Cotter
I have been an artist my entire life, and discovered silk painting by chance. It’s created so much joy and vibrancy in my life that I’ve made it my mission to share it with the world!
Born and raised on a small-town farm in northern Massachusetts, I’ve had an inherent passion for art, nature and the outdoors my entire life. As a child I would fill journal upon journal with colorful illustrations and stories, and took great delight in entering every art competition I could find.
I earned my BFA on art scholarship, graduating from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2007 with a degree in painting. My thesis show, “Bringing to Light”, consisted of a series of life-sized charcoal figure drawings inspired by yoga. Shortly after graduating I discovered silk painting, and it’s colored my life with joy and positive energy ever since!
An avid yogini, crossfitter, foodie, and lover of life, I now live in a small farm town in Rehoboth, MA with my husband and three kitties, and I work by day to strengthen nonprofits in Providence, RI. When I’m not at my day job, you’ll most likely find me painting up a storm in my second-floor apartment, where my studio is located. I’ve exhibited in many local shows, and currently sell primarily via my online shop and through custom orders. Arrangements for studio visits can also be made on occasion.
It all started when I was invited to tour the studio of acclaimed silk painter Judith Goetemann, who I had come to know through my work at the Rockport Art Association.
One day I ventured over to visit her harbor front gallery, and she asked if I would like to take a peek at her upstairs studio. Climbing the stairs to see hundreds of vibrant, neatly stacked swatches of silk, various sketches and notes pinned caringly to her worktable, with shiny glass jars of dye lining the shelves --- it made my heart flutter, and, seeing how awe-struck I was with this behind-the-scenes glimpse into her work, she recommended a company based in CA, Dharma Trading, where I could get started.
I ordered a beginner’s silk painting kit from them soon after.
Having previously worked for so long in black and white, I was immediately drawn to the vibrancy of colors in silk painting, and the mesmerizing way that the dyes could spread and travel throughout the fabric as if having a life of their own. The first moment my brush made contact with the shimmering silk awakened something in my soul, and following that day I set to work reading and learning as much as I could find about this magical medium.
I’ll admit that a LOT of sweat and tears went into the learning process – there are a fair amount of technicalities involved in silk painting, both in the actual application of dye as well as in making the dye permanently bond with the silk fibers, and I determinedly struggled my way through learning it all. In 2010 I started a blog,www.joyinmystudio.com, documenting many of my processes and learning experiences, in hopes that it might help others.
Can you describe the steps you take in designing and creating a piece? I am sure our readers would love to know how silk scarves are manually painted.
That’s a great question! My process is just as important to me as the end result – it’s truly a moving meditation. I always start with white silk, and everything I make is painted freehand, without stencils or tracing, though occasionally I’ll carve my own stamps and use those. I custom blend all of my non-toxic silk dyes, and utliize various nontoxic media and methods to create shapes and patterns.
Some methods, like Serti, require pinpointed concentration, a very meticulous and steady hand, and a LOT of patience waiting for the resist lines to dry completely (otherwise, the lines get flooded, and the image gets lost).
Other methods, like soy wax batik, require fluidity and swift, intuitive, confidently placed brushstrokes. I find they complement each other nicely and are equally therapeutic. Once the painting is complete and the silk has dried completely, I steam it for four hours and later rinse it clean and iron it out.
I recently created a scarf with a GoPro camera mounted to my head and made a 2-part time-lapse video to walk my viewers through the process of how a scarf gets created from start to finish – including all of the work that goes into each piece after the painting is complete. I did this to allow my audience gain a better understanding of how each piece is a unique work of art, and to show them the love and care that goes into the process. You can view it by clicking here.
My work draws from nature and the subconscious. I’m greatly inspired by surrounding myself in nature, and make it a priority to spend some time appreciating it each day. I have a very active imagination, am fascinated by dreams, and strongly believe in the power of color to promote healing by evoking particular moods and feelings.
Tell me anything else you would like people to read about you as a designer and your work :)-
I’m also a mixed media artist - my paintings have been exhibited nationally and received recognition. I combine silk painting with pen & ink, wax, and solvent-free oil paints to create semi-realistic paintings primarily of animals I’m fascinated with. You can view some of my paintings here.
From a fashion standpoint, I’ve found that scarves have been a simple and elegant compliment to my low-maintenance lifestyle – and I love that there are so many possibilities for how to style them! My closet pretty much consists of a handful of wrinkle-resistant neutrals that set a blank canvas for my scarves for my corporate day job, and I play more with patterns and texture combinations on the weekends.
This makes getting dressed in the morning a total breeze… though I’ll admit there are times when I have a really difficult time deciding which scarf to wear!
Also, I’m very grateful for the studio space I have now – but I do dream of one day having my own detached studio filled with natural light – with adequate workspace, a small showroom/gallery area, a loft for teaching art and yoga classes, and an outdoor garden filled with flowers, organic fruits, veggies and herbs, and a couple of beehives. Maybe even beautifully landscaped koi pond, too.. I like to dream big!
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