Name: Jaime Erin Johnson
Artistic Style: Photography/Alternative photographic processes, specifically cyanotypes, which are also known as “blueprints.” I stain them so the final print has an earthy, blue-brown duotone.
Hometown: Poplarville, MS
How long have you lived in Oxford? My time in Oxford is now at 6 years, but this is my first full year returning to Oxford since I got my BFA at Ole Miss.
Early art experience: A pack of glitter crayons from the “tooth fairy” found under my pillow. These crayons compacted with chunks of glitter offered me the possibility to “make stars.” I eyed them in a rummage store and never expected to see them again—my mom was sneaky—but it really is the small things that make an impact. At 16, my dad gave me my first camera when I left home to attend the Mississippi School for Math and Science for my last 2 years of high school, so that’s where photography started for me.
Favorite visual artists: Flor Garduño, Ana Mendieta, Khan and Selesnick
Art school? Ole Miss for a BFA in Imaging Arts and an MFA in Photography from Louisiana Tech University.
Favorite book or author: Currently: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Favorite quotation: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” – Pablo Picasso
How many hours to you spend in your studio each day? It’s hard to pinpoint specific numbers – In my everyday practice, there’s a lot of time I’m simply observing, finding, or collecting things I encounter to work with in a photograph so I might not necessarily be sitting in a studio. When I’m printing, it can be a full day – 7pm-7am due to the hands-on nature of alternative processes. But this is changing now that I teach, though 5pm-midnight can be normal hours several days a week. I’m not printing everyday, however, so the actual process of making a photograph might only be a few hours but the processing afterwards can be lengthy to create a one-of-a-kind print.
Favorite project you’ve completed: “Untamed”
Three ideas you want to explore in art: Our relationship to the land, the connection between humans and the animal word, and exploring our fragile human condition are themes that are always of interest to me.
Where can we see some of your art on display? Http://www.jaimejphotography.com and hopefully you’ll encounter the work in person, too!
Do you have a “day job”? I have a rewarding job as an Adjunct instructor in Art at the University of Mississippi
Favorite music/bands: Wild animals outside my bedroom window.
What are some of your other hobbies? Jogging, reading, writing, listening, and observing the world around me.
Where do you hang out in Oxford? The Ole Miss Art department, or browsing Square Books and meandering through the poetry book section.
Aspirations: To live a life of creativity and be a positive force to my communities and those around me. 
