Paulina Johnson

Paulina Johnson’s art lives on its edge. She creates each three-dimensional piece by flipping carefully selected paper onto its edge, forming representational works intricately designed to form portraits of nature. 
Johnson was born in Mexico City, Mexico where she resided until the age of 12. From there, she moved to the United States and has spent time living in California, South Carolina, and now, Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She has been immersed in the fields of art and graphic design for over two decades. She received a joint Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University and the University of San Francisco, graduating in 1999. She continued her education at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree in 2017. Now, she is giving back to the world of arts education as an adjunct professor at Colorado Mountain College.

Johnson has been creating her current body of work since 2018. She works out of a studio near her home in the beautiful mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Artist Statement:
“As a paper artist, my work is rooted in a minimalist design aesthetic and a genuine love of paper. I am inspired by nature and strive to capture its complexity and beauty with the simplest of elements—such as circles and lines. In my studio, I am a maker. Working with my hands has always brought my mind a sense of ease and my body a feeling of purpose. I work with paper because I truly believe in its magic. Until recently, paper single-handedly held and carried most of our history as human beings. It is incredibly versatile and unassuming. Most importantly, it is natural. Paper has the ability to be both the story and the storyteller in a work of art. Much of what I do is fueled by a curiosity to listen as it interacts with its environment when pushed beyond the flat surface and out into the three-dimensional world of light and shadow.”