Zoë Johnson,
Porcelain Ocean, Kamuela, Hawaii

Studio Description:
“She loved the sea. She liked the sharp salty smell of the air, and the vastness of the horizons bounded only by a vault of azure sky above. It made her feel small, but free as well.” ~George R.R. Martin

Perhaps it’s an odd thing growing up in landlocked areas of the Midwest and Europe to be so enraptured by the ocean, then again, perhaps it’s the most natural thing in the world...when I first encountered the ocean as a small child, my strongest emotion, after awe at the sheer size of the water was one of homecoming. Oceans contain 99% of the living space on the planet; humans have explored just 10%. And yet, the ocean feels intimately familiar, it is the primeval place of our very origins, each and every one of us has salt water flowing through our veins.

These days, I make my home in the middle of the Pacific ocean, on the most geographically isolated land masses on the planet, yet nothing about this experience feels remote, instead, I feel as if I’m right at the very core of the natural world. On a daily basis, I feel the call of the ocean…in the salt tinged offshore breeze, in the sun glinting off the water, in the soft white sand underfoot, in the gentle waves that lap invitingly at the toes…immersed, one feels supported, embraced, soothed, calmed and completely at ease. My wish is to convey this set of sensations through my work