Johanna Blair Has First Opening at Autumn Light Studio and Gallery

Young artist Johanna Blair has her first gallery opening soon at Autumn Light Studio and Gallery on 304 W. Main St., and she is not sure how to consider the accomplishment.

“Until I walk in here and I put my stuff up, I won’t really know how I feel about it,” Blair, 26, said while standing in the bare space where her pastel portraits will display.

When she was younger, Blair pushed away any ideas her parents had of her becoming an artist. She was well into the art world early on, though.

Blair attended a Waldorf school in Great Barrington, MA, where she said everything was a hands-on experience. Students even illustrated their own textbooks used for class. It was this education that would become fundamental to Blair’s work as an artist now.

More familiar with photography and drawing, Blair learned to work with pastels from Claudia Post, a master pastelist in Chester, CT.

After working with Post for nine months, Blair was more familiar with pastel techniques, which, she said, are very different from what she was used to.

A time consuming process, pastel work, Blair said, requires applying layer after layer of color.

“It wasn’t something that I would normally have the patience to go through,” Blair said.

She pointed to all the small details and many colors to work with―all of which matter less when drawing in black and white.

Even though she was confident with the craft after working with Post, working alone posed its own difficulties to Blair. The patience required for pastel work is tough to maintain.

“It’s hard sometimes working on my own 'cause I have the urge to skip a step,” she said.

While waiting for the gallery opening, Blair, who is modest about her ability, is working on projects commissioned by other people. One such project is setting up hurdles beyond the familiar time-consuming process.

One patron asked Blair to create a piece that she needed to apply to her wall to work on because it is too large for an easel. The person asked her to incorporate two dancers and Dante’s seven circles of hell.

Those themes may be difficult to imagine and apply to canvas. But despite the difficulty involved in projects like this, Blair is becoming aware of the security in accepting commissioned artwork.

“I haven’t fully realized the potential behind all of this,” Blair said. Although, she shook the “starving artist” myth and recognized that there is still financial security in artwork.

Blair’s exhibit opens Aug. 18 with an opening reception at Autumn Light from 7 to 9 p.m. Her artwork will be on display until Sep. 15.