the artist — mixed color

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Christi Johnson

- Sorceress of Stitch -

My art combines cosmic visions and botanical beauties, a hypnotic dance of symbols stitched slowly and methodically into fabric. I love learning about plants, alchemy, herbalism, metaphysics, and all the ways we as humans get back in tune with our place in the natural world.

Our world is brimming with myth and story… my work pulls these stories out of the ether and into stitches on fibers, and through my kits and workshops, you’re invited to join me in the process.

Bringing meaning back into stitching rejoins embroidery with its original purpose, and reminds us of the deep connection humans have with hand stitching, no matter what culture we’re from.

VIEW GALLERY OF ARTWORK

My mission, as both an artist and a teacher, is to break through the lies we tell ourselves about our own creative capabilities so we can better access our abilities to transform. I teach embroidery and textile arts for the imperfect human - for the visionary who wants to transform their dreams into textural designs on fabric through the art of embroidery.

These teachings are for the hesitant creative, those who think they don’t really know how to draw, those who feel they aren’t that skilled - to show them the skills they need to embrace their most creative selves.

You are not a machine. Your imperfections make you more human, we’re drawn to them like moths to a porch light.

Somehow that flaw; like an unusual face or an oddly grown flower; makes us stop and stare, bringing us in closer for further inspection. It makes us question the way things should be, opens us up to new forms.

Hand stitching is an act of magic…

…able to transform, strengthen, and finish cloth while infusing the fibers with protective and fortuitous intentions. Embroidering our clothing allows us to chronicle who we are now - viewing past stitches brings me back to that moment, captured in threads pushed and pulled through the weaving of our personal stories.
I frequently work with pre-loved textiles that are infused with mysteries of the past, faded colors and decomposing fibers. As they get stitched back together, the needle pulling through every inch of the edge, building back up in a feeling of salvation and resurrection, mending the torn areas and strengthening them once again.
The needle travels from above to below and back again, like a craft of underworld excavation, embroidery often brings us to unearth the depths of our emotions, sit with them, and process them at the appropriate speed - slow as can be.

Before teaching embroidery, I worked in the fashion industry for nearly a decade, always making my own clothes outside of work that were usually put together out of scraps and leftovers from my jobs. I usually switch it up between embroidery and hand dyed, natural dyes, and hand painted designs depending on the season.

I’m obsessed with visual texture, which is why I love embellishing cloth with dimensional embroidery and hand painted elements. I love connecting to mystical realms and diving into mythic stories that bring new ideas and visions to my work. I also love working with plants through natural dyes, making herbal medicines, and learning from them on a cellular level.

I work from the belief that through self expression, we discover our power to transform our worlds.

QUICK N’ EASY BIO

Raised in tropical Florida, I studied Fashion Design at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.

I worked in every kind of job from assisting at a high-stress OOPS I mean, high-end fashion designer whose clothes were all made-in-LA from silks, cashmere, and leather; to teen surf brands manufactured overseas (I wouldn’t recommend either, but especially not the latter).

My favorite industry experience was designing “cosmically crafted” limited-edition embroideries for boutique brand Coast-Wide’s denim workwear.

Five years ago, after a brief stint living in NYC for an artist residency at Textile Arts Center, I founded Mixed Color in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York. This textile studio produces original garments and creates embroidered pieces on vintage garments. As a teacher, I also offer workshops in natural dyeing and embroidery.

To not only educate others on these ancient skills, but also share the methods of my own creative practice, I’ve created kits and booklets for students and DIY-ers.

I work mostly with textiles - embroidery, natural dyes, and patchwork, but have been known to get down with some twigs, wood, and other natural materials.