Artist
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Artist Statement
I have always been drawn to the human experience, to the small moments that aren’t normally seen. My work contains self-portraits often in mundane and quiet poses that are nothing out of the ordinary suddenly shone under a spotlight. I have never been the best with words, so I look inwardly while painting to authentically capture how I am feeling at that moment and how I can visually portray that. The main goal of my work is to connect people through the shared human experience and have people relate to it to feel less alone. While I have a strong personal emotional connection with every painting I do, I often leave the faces off of my figures to let the viewer assign their emotion to the piece instead of bottle-feeding the viewer with what I want them to take from it.
There is beauty in the simple, lonely, moments, I wish to emphasize that with my work and make unspoken connections between people.
About
Biography
Born in 2003 in a small town in rural Montana, Johanna Arganbright is a figure painter in Missoula, Montana. Much of her work is centered around intimate and lonesome activities and feelings; she is inspired by the small moments that are not usually focused on and shines a spotlight on them.
Arganbright’s first love for art was of her grandmother's watercolor paintings in her childhood home, these inspired her to start painting and motivated her to become an artist. Her work has been exhibited in multiple juried art shows at the University of Montana as well as shown in a large-scale exterior exhibition in downtown Missoula, Montana in 2024.
She is currently pursuing a BFA at the University of Montana with a concentration in painting and double minoring in art history and business administration.