The world is currently full of noise and chaos, making it essential for young artists like Joanna Blémont and her ’silent watercolours‘ to bring a sense of tranquillity. Joanna’s illustrations urge us to slow down, take a breath, and immerse ourselves in the peaceful spaces she creates.
Raised in Charleroi, Belgium, Joanna has always been drawn to capturing empty spaces, inspired by the quiet, forgotten buildings of her industrial hometown. Now based in Edinburgh, her ’silent watercolours‘ consist of sequences of paintings that evoke changes in space, inviting viewers to interpret and feel the essence of each piece.
Joanna’s contemplative approach led her to collaborate on visuals for the Mo Low event in Nantes, France, encouraging visitors to pause, reflect, and step out of their daily routines. She values collaboration with art directors who understand her work and provide constructive feedback, such as her project illustrating Yukio Mishima’s short story for The New Yorker.
Using watercolour as her main medium, Joanna appreciates the precision and unpredictability it brings to her work, particularly in creating textures that mimic the physicality of a real page. Her upcoming work for the zine Comatose, funded by Creative Scotland, explores the intersection of dreams and reality, drawing from her dream journal and MA project at the Edinburgh College of Art.
Riso printed at Out of the Blueprint in Edinburgh, Comatose will be available at various riso studios, zine libraries, and online in late November, showcasing Joanna’s evolving creative practice and exploration of new directions in her work.