Biography - Johanna Okovic Goodman
“ I am intrigued and engaged by the concept of the other .”
“ My desire to travel and see the world began at an early age . Fueled by my strong European heritage that valued and preserved the timeless quality of beautiful objects , paintings , ideas , and philosophy , and my fathers ’ wanderlust , I yearned to travel and experience different cultures .”
From the ages of seven to 17 , Goodman began her early art training in Pittsburgh , PA at the Carnegie Mellon University , the Tam O ’ Shanters , led by the charismatic artist Joseph Fitzpatrick .
She received her B . F . A . from Moore College of Art , Philadelphia , PA and her M . F . A . from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts , Philadelphia , PA . Goodman won the coveted Lewis J . Ware Traveling Fellowship Award . After graduating , she worked for University of Pennsylvania Department of Egyptology as an artist in the Great Pyramids .
She traveled around Europe for a few months , settling first in Madrid , then Malaga . While in Spain , she had two exhibitions and met Salvador Dali and was a frequent visitor to his home in Cadaques .
While in Mallorca , the artist met and became a guest of Robert Graves , expatriate and Poet Laureate of England .
In Malaga , she had an unusual opportunity to live and work with a Berber family in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco . The lifestyle and the openness to nature , nomadic spirit and art that was a part of Berber life made an indelible impression on the young artist . The tribe dyed fabric with dye made from plants gathered in the Atlas Mountains and the surrounding desert . “ It was their livelihood and for them art- making was just that . This experience had a profound effect upon my art-making ; art and life were seamlessly unified . I felt every living thing had a spirit and a sense of belonging to a place .”
Upon returning to Philadelphia , Goodman began to experiment with all media . Trained as oil painter , she had taught herself the under painting and glazing of the Flemish masters . Now , the artist worked with acrylic , clay , collage , found objects and learned to make her own paper and paints .
“ For about 20 years , I exhibited and built my reputation in Philadelphia . During this time , I made many trips to the Southwest , particularly Santa Fe . The architecture and landscape spoke to me . Like an orphan finding her mother , I knew this was to be my next move .”
In 2006 , after a divorce , she set out for Denver to stay with her brother for 2 years .
Goodman ’ s work transformed from representational to abstract . Physical movement inspired artistic movement and the work developed quickly .
After a few years in Colorado , she began working with encaustic , a medium well suited to her style and focus . She dealt with physical change by building sculptural painting to mark her move .
Taking in open spaces , different natural elements , Johanna Okovic Goodman built her world artistically .
The artist presently resides in Colorado , looking to relocate to Santa Fe in the near future .