Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayde Johnson.
Hi Kayde, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and bred in the great state of Arizona and raised in Payson; a small rural town nestled in the pines of the Tonto National Forest. As a proud Arizona native, I have lived and learned the lands of the desert throughout my entire life. My upbringing has played a huge role in who I am as a person today.
I was always a bit of a wild child. Not in the sense of getting myself into trouble, although I did do my fair share of that, but in the sense that I was constantly spending my time entertaining myself outside. From catching all manner of critters and crawlers, to building forts with my siblings in the creek, to wrestling with the neighborhood kids in a big mud puddle we made in the yard; I have always been drawn to the outdoors. When I wasn’t out in the woods, I was finding any excuse I could to get outside. My affinity for the outdoors later led to a passion for hunting that I shared with the members of my family. My background in hunting gave me an entirely new perspective on the circle of life and the gravity of becoming a part of it. This love for the outdoors and the appreciation for all the flora and fauna in it would later become the source of my inspiration.
When I wasn’t out finding trouble in the woods, I was finding ways to create. From drawing, to painting, to all other manner of arts and crafts; I was constantly finding new hobbies to keep my hands busy. My love for art started at a very young age. I’ve always told anyone that asks me “When did you start drawing?” that I’ve been making art for as long as I could hold a pencil. The giant cardboard box in my grandmother’s closet (which contains every single drawing I made for her) can attest. The majority of my drawings featured animals. They were often accompanied by factoids and research that I had learned from watching countless hours of Animal Planet or from reading any animal book I could get my hands on. It was then that my love for the outdoors began to bleed into my early practices as an artist.
When I was in seventh grade, I decided that I wanted to attend Arizona State University to pursue my degree in Art. I spent the next five years of my pre-collegiate career focusing on getting good grades and earning scholarships so that I could put myself through university. After graduating high school, I moved away from my hometown and started classes at ASU where I would spend the next four years earning my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing. My time spent at ASU became a huge catalyst in finding my voice as an artist. Not only did I become more technically proficient, I was able to find myself, my language, and became a more rounded artist as a whole. I graduated with my BFA and a minor in business just this previous May of 2026.
That brings us to today, where I am continuing to learn and grow as an artist. I have continued to strengthen both the visual and symbolic languages of my practice and I am looking forward to what the future has in store for me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have learned from a very young age that nothing good in life comes without working for it. The road to get to where I am at now wasn’t easy by any means, but I would not have become the person that I am today without it. From overcoming obstacles in my personal life, to unpacking and learning to talk about heavy topics within my art; there were many points over the last four years that had me questioning my abilities. Yet, I kept pushing. Every wall that I hit, every period of artist block and stagnation, every failed project became a new breakthrough and motivator. Struggling through the four years of earning my degree gave me so much insight into who I am and where I want to go. I was able to process so many things that I have experienced in my life. I became vulnerable with my viewers. I found my purpose. I found my language. I found a deeper connection with every piece I create. Finding myself within my practice was a long and drawn out battle with my own limitations. I owe much of my progress to the help of so many dedicated mentors, colleagues, and friends. I wouldn’t be here today without their guidance.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My body of work stems from the experiences I have had with loss. Drawing inspiration from my background in hunting, I utilize southwestern animals as a way to personify the power dynamics between myself and my grief. My observations on the natural behaviors of each animal play a key role in their depiction. Every piece helps develop a “cast of characters” in which every animal and recurring motif takes on a different identity associated with a specific emotion or idea.
Dwelling in the realm of stylized realism, my practice emphasizes attention to detail as well as contrast, balance, and harmony. The push and pull dynamics between subjects reflects the internal conflict I experience in my relationship with my inner emotions. In any of my chosen mediums, I work meticulously to create fine details to develop realism and volume—each giving a sense of weight to the final composition. Particularly in my pen and ink drawings, my process involves the slow buildup of values by altering the pressure of the pen. With each pen stroke the values become darker, and the layers build to reflect the passage of time and emphasize the permanence of each action and its respective repercussions. In this way, my work serves as an integral part of my healing process.
How do you define success?
Success is such a hard thing to measure. There’s no real metric, it’s a case-by-case basis, and varies from person to person. Success for me has become a never-ending journey. A living practice. A constantly evolving goal that is always set just in front of me. Success is being better than the person I was yesterday. I’ve learned that my only competition is me; the day before, a week ago, the versions of myself that I’ve outgrown and developed into who I am now. My biggest motivation is to strive to be better every single day.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @jones.and.ink
- Gmail: kayde.jo04@gmail.com
