The creative process remains hidden and mysterious, even for the artist. All we can do is dance around its source, look at it from different angles, nurture its growth and appreciate its expressive flowering. It is equally mysterious to ask how an artist finds her specific inspiration. Why be drawn to this? For painter Johanna Baruch, it’s almost as if the inspiration chose her.
In this image-rich presentation, Johanna will explore the many facets of the creative process through her own work of painting the cosmos, as inspired by the Hubble Space Telescope images. We’ll dive into the magic of seeing into deep space, and how that opens up deep vistas within. We’ll travel into history to connect us to our ancient ancestors who looked up into the night sky in awe. We’ll explore how we can open ourselves up to images, and see painting as alchemy, with the artist’s studio a laboratory in which the prima materia is processed to create something alive and meaningful. And we’ll investigate science as a language that bridges us to the great mystery of the universe around us, as it also connects us to our own selves, borne out of that same “star stuff.”
JOHANNA BARUCH studied art in New York City before moving to California, earning her degree from New College. She exhibits in galleries and museums nationally, with work in private and corporate collections. She serves on the Board of Governors of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, is a former trustee of the California College of the Arts and the
Djerassi Resident Artists Program, and former member of the SFMOMA Accessions Committee. johannabaruch.com