A Q&A with artist Johanna Mueller

FeverishART, which is currently gracing the walls of 3 Little Birds Salon, features the handiwork of artist and print maker, Johanna Mueller. Her work spans the gamut, residing in museums, galleries and the walls of fine folks homes -- as well as hand printed greeting cards, posters, and affordable art. All in hopes of spreading ink, beauty and her love for the time worn art of engraving across the country. We asked Johanna a few questions about her work in anticipation of her art opening on Friday, August 1st. View Johanna Mueller's Majestic Menagerie at 3 Little Birds Salon through the end of the month. 

3 Little Birds (3LB): "So, do you live in Denver?" 

Johanna Mueller (JM): "I was born in Denver, went to East High and Metro State before leaving for my Master's Degree outside of Washington, DC at George Mason University. Right now, I am living and sharing a studio with my partner in crime and fellow artist, Stan Scott., in Fort Collins. But I am in and out Denver often, and still think of it as my home turf." 

3LB: "Denver has a special spot in my heart as well, its such a great community for music and art. How long have you been producing art?" 

JM: "I have always been creative, artistically inclined since I was a kiddo, but didn't take myself seriously until college. I was also a business lady from early on, from walking dogs to painting soda can tabs as necklace charms for a $1 in high school. I love being my own boss and sharing what I do best with the world." 

3LB: "That's the dream isn't it? To do what you love, and answer to no one? Sounds like a good gig. What is your process for creating these images? Are they hand-drawn, or do you engrave images?" 

JM: "What I am best known for are my engravings, a type of old fashioned printing, no computers allowed, just me and my printing press! All my images originate from my sketchbook, then I piece different sketches together to comprise a pretty complete, detailed drawing in pencil. I transfer the drawing onto a special type of plastic, kinda like PVC but in a sheet form, so it is flat. Then, using little tools, (called gravers or engraving burins) I carve out each and every line of the image. Whatever I carve out is white, and whatever is left on the surface gets rolled with ink. It works like a rubber stamp where the surface of the stamp is the inked surface, and when pressure is applied, in my case about 500+lbs of pressure from my printing press, the image is transferred to the paper. It can take up to an hour to engrave a square inch, which is why my images are so small! They take forever to make! but I think it is worth it!" 

3LB: "That's so cool! What a process. Is this the only medium you use?" 

JM: "It is definitely my specialty. Engravers are a dying breed, but wherever I go, I educate people about printmaking since most are just vaguely familiar with terms like engraving, woodblock or screen print. It is a fascinating world of prints out there and I teach engraving workshops whenever I can." 

3LB: "That sounds like a fun class, both as a teacher and as a student. How else do you get your name out there? Do you have an Etsy account? How are sites like that beneficial to you as an artist?" 

JM: "I do have an Etsy account, my shop is 'FeverishART.' Etsy is a great way to network and get noticed by other artists. As people favorite your items, their network sees their action and word spreads! As much as I enjoy getting noticed on Etsy, I love exploring other people's favorites. I have come upon some great new artists and have bought treasures for myself and others. Having a presence on Etsy is essential, but for 2-D art, people usually buy directly from me or a gallery and never sight unseen. Most people saw something in person, but didn't buy it at the time, so they e-mail me about it or find the piece online." 

3LB: "Have you been commissioned to do any unique pieces? stationary? wedding announcements? concert fliers?" 

JM: "Yes, I have done wedding invitations for most of my best friends and my brother; the logo for Bastrop Brewery outside Austin, TX; designs for dance companies, distilleries, family crests and lots more. And tattoos. So many of my designs are on bodies now! But I only take on jobs that really emanate my style. I don't do humans, multi-color work, or work that feels too 'cute.' I stick to animals and black and white." 

3LB: "Ooh, now I'm inspired to get a tattoo. I adore "Full Moon Fox." I can definitely imagine having that inked on me for life. It's my favorite small piece in the salon right now. Do you have a favorite piece of work?" 
JM: "My favorite piece is usually the last piece I worked on. I just finished the piece 'Aching, Reaching, Re-Aching' for a portfolio show at Bowling Green University. It has some Aztec themes running through it. I was thinking of cycles, how pain is cyclical and we forget about pain so quickly, and the brain science behind our emotion with aching, pain, and moving forward. And the Aztecs were so brutal it seemed to fit. It is a heavy piece, but others, like 'Full Moon Fox' are more lighthearted. I lived in Snowmass, CO for a year and met wildlife on my uphill walk home every night. It was a full moon and I forgot my headlamp and literally almost walked into a fox around a shadowy corner. He made a noise that sounded like underwater growling (what does the fox say? Ha!) So I commemorated the experience with the print. Each one has a story or symbols behind it, they are steeped in modern myth and shared historical human experience." 

3LB: "What an awesome concept. That makes sense. When I was describing your work to someone, I talked about the Native American Egalitarian set of beliefs that see animal, humans and nature all as equals. While some pieces are more dark, and others more playful, a respect for animals is evident. Is there anything else we should know about your work?" 

JM: "It is a labor of love! Each piece is precious, and I hope the imagery resonates. I feel so lucky to be able to create work that is meaningful to me, and others." 

3LB: "We feel lucky as well!" 

Join us on the evening of August 1st (from 7-10 pm) to view Johanna's work, enjoy tasty snacks from Threshold Culinary Events and Consulting, and sip on organic juice cocktails from Juice Mon. 

To view Johanna's work online, visit: www.feverishart.com