Biography - Johanna Hansen (1957)
Johanna Hansen was born in Lakeside, California, and has lived there most of her life. She studied painting and printmaking at San Diego State University, yet has always worked primarily in clay and mixed media. She began her career as an art teacher and is now a full-time artist. Johanna’s ideas come from the “wealth of subject matter in the everyday.”
In her clay sculptures, Johanna confronts topics of all kinds with whimsy, humor and satire. Her use of vibrant color, simple and symbolic forms, and the directness in her “message,” clearly reflect her love of folk art and her years working with children. She sees her pieces as “little dialogues with my audience... vignettes... ditties... haiku...rather than epics...”
Johanna lives with her husband, Don Whisman, and their son, Elden.
