Worcester’s 10 Coolest People: Margot Johnson, Artist

Thursday, January 08, 2015
Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

Margot Johnson received her Masters in Art Therapy at Albertus Magnus college in 2011. She is currently working as a full time Registered Art Therapist at a psychiatric hospital with children in crisis.

“I facilitate daily structured groups that use art as a form of expression and in a big way a voice for these resilient kids. The hands on sensory experience is a connection and an outlet for these kids to process what they are going through and work through and find the right coping tools to live functionally. In art therapy, you are not focusing on the product, but more of the process and the story that goes along with the artwork,” said Johnson.

A Passion Since Childhood

For Johnson, art has been a passion of her since she was child. “I remember my mom taking me to the Worcester Art Museum when I was young and she bought me an art book of Andy Warhol and Walt Disney. I remember enjoying looking at a the pictures and copying Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and much more,” said Johnson.

Johnson says the primary focus of her art is to match the style with the subject matter and that her art is somewhere between impressionistic and expressionistic. Her art can be seen on these three websites: Etsy, Collins ArtWorks, and her Facebook page.

“I create art highlighting the impression of the subject matter and using the roots of emotion to create it,” said Johnson.

Johnson Has Unique Technique

In the future, Johnson would like to experiment with oil painting and focus on mixing colors and creating mood to connect with the subject matter. She also hopes to one day write and illustrate her own children's book and begin illustrate greeting cards or wine labels. Johnson has also considered teaching art. She plans to continue to travel, as it helps challenge her and find her new inspiration from different parts of the world.

Johnson said, "It's hard to explain my art. It’s so intuitive and the techniques I never really think about. It's just the emotion I'm feeling at that time and then the techniques kind of follow, based on that emotion or mood I am in. It depends on the subject matter I am painting as well. For example, I take a different approach for each piece. No one piece is the exact same even when I try to make a replication of the original one. Each painting is unique and original with its own creation of marks and there is no step to step method to create it. Actually when I start to think too technical it restricts my creativity and the artwork becomes too cold and stiff. I put my heart, my soul, and my experiences in creating my art."

  • Jennifer Gaskin

    Founder and President of WCACA

    The Worcester Caribbean American Carnival Association began in 2012, and as President, Jennifer Gaskin has had to provide leadership, strategic guidance and oversight to the organization to meet its goals. The WCACA is dedicated to the empowerment of people, preservation of Caribbean tradition and respect for cultural diversity.

    Gaskin said “WCACA brings a unique perspective to the community. We bring visibility and a voice to the Caribbean American community of Central Massachusetts and beyond. When I first starting talking about bringing a Caribbean style carnival to Worcester the common question I heard was ‘There are Caribbean people in Worcester?’ Well yes there is. There is actually a pretty substantial Caribbean community in Worcester and Central Massachusetts in general.”

    Read More Here

     

  • Margot Johnson

    Artist and Art Therapist

    Margot Johnson received her Masters in Art Therapy at Albertus Magnus college in 2011. She is currently working as a full time Registered Art Therapist at a psychiatric hospital with children in crisis.

    “I facilitate daily structured groups that use art as a form of expression and in a big way a voice for these resilient kids. The hands on sensory experience is a connection and an outlet for these kids to process what they are going through and work through and find the right coping tools to live functionally. In art therapy, you are not focusing on the product, but more of the process and the story that goes along with the artwork,” said Johnson.

    Read More Here

     

  • Jason Grayson

    Founder and CEO of I Know A Guy Event Services

    I Know A Guy Event Services began in 2013 and is comprised of three principal owners. The CEO, Jason Grayson, has been living in Worcester since 2007. Grayson previously worked for the DCU Center before helping start I Know A Guy. He has worked in venue management and event planning his entire life.

    Grayson knows what it's like to produce an event and to plan a meeting with a menu feeding thousands of people. He knows his customer’s needs and knows what they need to maximize their time, reduce their loss and increase their revenue.

    Read More Here

     

  • Cara Brindisi

    Singer and Songwriter, Music Therapist

    Cara Brindisi has been performing around Worcester as a singer, guitarist and soloist for the last four years. Brindisi performs several times a month at local bars and restaurants, and private functions and weddings.

    Brindisi has set a number of new goals for 2015 and she is taking her time setting her performance schedule. However, she will be at Padavano’s Place on Shrewsbury Street at least one Saturday per month.

    Read More Here

     

  • Matt Robbins

    Owner and Founder of E.L. Music

    E.L.Music opened its doors in early September 2014. Matt Robbins, owner and founder of E.L. Music, wants to offer music retail and instruction to fill the void left by the big box retailers.

    “We have a great staff of musicians, teachers, retail experts and repairment with well over 100 years of combined experience to give hands on assistance to everyone who comes to visit. Unfortunately, a whole generation have not experienced what it was like "to go to the music store". It should be more of an emotional experience than going to a department store! I want people to be a community here. Feel like this is their home. You can come and take classes from experts on African Hand Drums to Harmonica here,” said Robbins.

    Read More Here

     

  • Renee King

    Owner of The Queen's Cups

    In October 2012, Renee King opened The Queen’s Cups in Millbury. More than two years later, King is serving roughly 2,500 cupcakes a week on average.

    “I was inspired to open the business because of the support around me. My family and friends really believed that I could be successful selling cupcakes so I just went for it. They believed in me way more than I did at that point,” said King.

    In 2015, King wants to focus on staying creative and coming up with new and original ideas. She thinks The Queen’s Cups will be doing more events for businesses, expand on its desserts, and will have a very busy wedding season. Most importantly, King wants her business to stay involved in the community.

    Read More Here

     

  • Robert Fecteau

    Owner of BirchTree Bread Company

    In November, Robert Fecteau opened the BirchTree Bread Company inside of Crompton Place on Green Street. Fecteau, founder and baker at BirchTree, has worked as a chef for 15 years.

    After many years in the restaurant industry, in order to learn the art of artisan baking, Fecteau went to northern California to work as an intern at several bakeries. He returned to Massachusetts and worked for Five Loaves Bakery in Spencer to continue to work on his trade. 

    When he was ready, he opened BirchTree to begin making his own bread. Fecteau's artisan breads are made with fresh ingredients and with natural leaven, and are baked at 500 degrees as soon as the dough is at its peak of fermentation. 

    Read More Here

     

  • Pam Martin

    Senior Account Executive at Grove Marketing

    Pam Martin, from Worcester, has been a Senior Account Executive at Grove for a year now. Grove, an advertisement agency in Concord, required Martin to submit a 140 character tweet with her resume that had to describe why she was the right candidate. The next day, one of the founding Partners of Grove called her and a week later she joined the Grove team.

    Martin has also been dancing for the past 25 years. Currently, she dances with DanceWorks Boston, which she joined in June 2011 after spending a year with a different dance group in Worcester.

    Read More Here

     

  • Eric Gourene "DJ E-Class"

    DJ

    Eric Gourene’s day job is being a manager for a rental company. However, his proudest achievements have come from the late night crowds of Worcester. Gourene, otherwise known as “DJ E-Class,” has been a DJ for six years now in Worcester.

    Currently, Gourene DJs at Mickey O’Neil's on Park Ave, and Primo’s on Green Street. He also has done numerous weddings and private parties over the last few years. Gourene moved from Montreal, Quebec to Queens, NY as a child. He moved to Worcester when he was eight years old and is a graduate of St. Peter-Marian High School in Worcester and Nichols College.

    Gourene said, “Worcester is giving me the opportunity to achieve a lot of my dreams and stay close to my friends and watch them grow up and make families Hopefully Central Mass will continue to allow me to reach some of my other dreams. There's a lot of potential here and that's my favorite thing about this place.”

    Read More Here

     

X

Stay Connected — Free
Daily Email

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook