Joanna Rogers

Joanna

has always enjoyed finding an oddness in things and strives to give

visual voice to the incongruities she encounters, or imagines, as she

goes about her daily life. She

works with textiles, found objects and photographs. She is drawn to

traditional surface design techniques such as hand dying, shibori,

and hand weaving. The haptic nature of fibre is very important to her

as it creates an immediate connection between her, the maker, and each

piece as it is constructed. She enjoys

working slowly, savouring the feel of the material. The found objects

she uses have been discarded. This detritus becomes precious and

significant when presented as a collection.

Joanna is

grateful to have lived on Pender Island, part of the traditional

lands of the Tsawout First Nation, since 1999 and continues to be

inspired by the natural beauty surrounding her. Her

practice is driven by her response to the continued and worsening

destruction of the natural environment and the effect this

degradation has on native species of flora and fauna. Joanna has

shown her work in galleries across Canada and in the US. Her work

crosses the boundaries of Fine Craft and Fine Art and has been

exhibited in both contexts since 1994. She was selected as a finalist

for the 2017 and 2021 Salt Spring National Art Prize. Images

of Joanna’s work have appeared in local and global publications.

My work examines the human response to our environment in an effort to understand how we might

live less destructively, more in harmony, with other species and

the land. I work predominantly with textiles and found objects but

also create original layered photo collages. I love building texture,

depth and complexity by layering and this can be seen in all my work.

I am influenced by my studies of Ancient History, Anthropology and Textile History and

enjoy including historical and literary references in my work. Many of my pieces play with the concept of time by 

resembling relics that have been unearthed but that document the future rather than the past.  Historically, textiles have told stories; some hidden and some more overt. I continue this tradition. Every piece that I make contains at least one story. My stories are usually cryptic and are often told in code.