About the Artist
Taléya Johnson, also noted as JET, is an award winning artist from the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. Her body of work mostly consists of paintings that toggle between realism and abstraction as this relates to physicality and spirituality. She has been painting since 2012 and has explored various artistic mediums aside from painting. The multifaceted nature of her artistry exposes the multitude of skill sets she has under her belt. Her love for several different art forms along with her passion for teaching led her to get her BFA in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University which she completed in 2021. She also received collegiate art training from Pratt Institute in Brookland and from an architecture and design school in Costa Rica called Universidad Veritas.
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While becoming adept in her creative endeavors within these institutions, JET discovered that her body of work draws connections between human and spiritual experiences. These connections manifest as portraits, paintings of nature,
and abstract art. Her artwork is derived from an autobiographical approach as her work is inspired by personal experiences and divine revelations.
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Over the course of her artistic career, Taléya JET Johnson has sold over 100 of her original artworks along with several art prints. Her first solo art show sold out all 50 of her original paintings and her second and third solo shows were equally as successful, selling 50+ original paintings, art prints, and apparel. JET holds the “Black History in the Making Award" from Virginia Commonwealth University for a monument proposal she created and installed in Richmond, Virginia. Her piece “Back to Erica” also received the People’s Choice Award and Best in Show during the March 150 Target gallery exhibition at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. In recent times, JET has been hosting paint and sip events, installing large scale custom walls in private residences and businesses, along with working on a new series centered around women of color in shades of Blue.
Artist Statement
"My body of work consists of oil and acrylic paintings that toggle between realism and abstraction, as this relates to human nature and spirituality. With a conceptual approach, I use composition, color, and form to commentate on human and spiritual experiences and how they overlap. The meaning behind the artwork is echoed in the composition of the painting because there are key elements in the painting like the way the figure is positioned on the canvas, the colors, the facial expression, and so forth that tell a story.
My portrait paintings hold stories of overcoming hardship which are intertwined with messages of encouragement from the soul. These portrait paintings are inspired by women of color and are drawn from personal and collective experiences. I paint subject matter that represents life, radiate energy, and create a moment of transcendence through divine intervention as the most high uses me to be the bridge between worlds seen and unseen.
© 2023 by JET Art & Spirituality