About the Artist

Johanna Dozer was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but was not raised as a typical city kid. Along with a well-rounded education, her parents taught her to value “touching the earth,” to be reminded of the tension and balance between self and nature. She grew up in the city and enjoyed its culture but at the same time raised sheep in the family orange grove. She learned a lot about life from those animals and trees, lessons that would follow her through life.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in photography at the University of Arizona, she moved to Connecticut to open her first studio. Her early focus sought a balance between nature and the human form, and was influenced by her work in advertising, which taught her to nurture an eye for details. As her work was judged and accepted in gallery shows, grants and positive press followed.

Though she enjoyed the lush greenery, rolling hills and vivid colors of the Northeast, she felt a pull back to Arizona and the openness and boldness of the desert. She came home –– back to the sheep and the citrus –– and discovered glass. The fluidity captured her spirit. She loved the paradox of the medium: the seeming simplicity of glass itself against the complexity of blowing.

Today,  Johanna believes glass is the embodiment of the elements and complexity that have marked her life since childhood. In life and art, she still seeks to “touch the earth.” Designs and patterns found in nature form the core of her vision. No matter what medium she works in, the touch of nature remains constant. 

Check out our very own Johanna Dozer interview with Ian Russell!