Riley Johns is a senior at Georgia College & State University, studying Art with a focus in Graphic Design. Based in Savannah, Georgia, she’s passionate about design and will be pursuing a career in interior design, specializing in custom homes. Riley also uses her graphic design skills to create unique merchandise for small businesses, combining creativity with practical application. Her work reflects a strong commitment to both artistic expression and functional design.
Project Statement
For this project, I’m creating a photography series to honor my uncle and younger cousin, who passed away while I was in college. The work centers around a collection of images that represent what I value most in my relationships with them. Through this piece, I want to tell their stories, celebrate their lives, and share my grief. The series will include photographs that capture moments, objects, and places connected to their memory, such as an empty boat, their loyal dog waiting on the porch, their personal belongings, and quiet landscapes that once held shared experiences. These images work together to create a visual narrative of love, loss, and remembrance. I draw inspiration from artists like Ray Ellis, Bill Bebee, and Ignat Ignatov, who explore memory, family, and place through their work. With this collection, I hope to honor their lives and the impact they had on mine.
Artist Statement
My journey through college has been one of discovery—not just of technique, but of meaning. As a photographer, I have explored different visual styles, but it is through this capstone project that I am truly finding my voice. This semester, I have shifted my focus from purely aesthetic considerations to the deeper emotional and narrative aspects of my work. Initially, my project lacked direction—it was visually compelling but not yet fully realized. I experimented with different subjects and compositions, searching for a way to connect my personal experiences with my art. However, as I engaged in research and had meaningful conversations with professors and mentors, my work took on a more profound purpose. I began to recognize recurring themes in my images—the presence of objects, places, and animals that symbolize life, death, love, and grief. The quiet stillness of an empty boat, the waiting gaze of a loyal dog, and the fragile beauty of an oyster shell all became metaphors for memory and loss. In their simplicity and depth, these subjects allowed me to explore what it means to live, love, and experience loss.
