From Clown Shoes to Custom Murals: Inside the Colorful, Controlled Chaos of Joanna Fields' Artistic Universe
The artist has created a vibrant world all her own — and some of your favorite stars are already living in it.
Hello all,
I know it’s been a minute, and as always, we’re keeping the “slow” in Slow Ghost. But I have a stacked series of interviews coming up with truly inspiring folks, so hopefully we will get this thing back on a regular cadence.
A lot has happened in the world since we last talked. Rather than do what might come off as a flippant rundown of all the horrors that have occurred, I hoped to use this platform to share some indie media outlets working tirelessly, often without a traditional net, to do the hard-hitting journalism this moment requires. I want to highlight my former Fusion colleague Marisa Kabas, whose newsletter, The Handbasket, was the first to report on the Office of Management and Budget memo and funding freeze; the journalist owned and operated 404 Media, which is breaking news (and often scooping legacy media) in AI, internet culture, and tech; and NYC’s subscriber-funded, worker-owned news outlet Hell Gate, who are picking up the torch of local coverage.
To quote another former Fusion colleague, Kelsey McKinney, on selling art at the end of an empire: while it can sometimes feel self-indulgent to want to create and share your work, those who do “deep down believe that making things matters,” and it is the job of the creator to move forward — to “make things that can help people either feel good or process how bad they feel” — and maybe even make something genuinely fantastical along the way.
~Laura
Slow Ghost logo: Tyler Lafreniere. Image: Joanna Fields for @printalloverme , bullett magazine.
Check Out
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Ottessa Moshfegh’s closet clean out with Substack.
The Biofabricate summit in London, where you can learn about the materials of the future.
Buy tickets now: John Carpenter will perform his iconic scores live at the Knockdown Center this fall.
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Madame Gandhi. Photo Credit: Lindsey Byrnes
Ghost Friends
Stream Award-winning artist and activist, Madame Gandhi’s “Rise!”, the second single off of her upcoming Let Me Be Water ( May 2025), then read her quarantine SG interview here.
The ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is back this week, with none other than our own Meredith Graves as Ambassador.
Kaave Pour, creative director behind pivotal design incubator Space 10, has returned with a new project to reimagine Europe’s transportation systems.
This spring, catch Tabitha Soren’s contributions to Acts of Creation: On Art & Motherhood and the traveling exhibition Designing Motherhood.
Joanna Fields’ Life In Color
The artists’ vivid designs have appeared on album covers and gallery walls and are beloved by everyone from comedians Sarah “Squirm” Sherman and Julie Klausner to musician Dan Deacon. But you’ve probably already seen her work as your favorite tattoo.
Joanna Fields is a Queens-based multimedia artist who has participated in solo and group exhibitions at YUI Gallery (NYC), Space 1026 (Philadelphia), Elephant Gallery (NYC), and Current Space (Baltimore). She is also an illustrator, whose work has appeared on the cover and inserts of Dan Deacons 2015 album Gliss Riffer (Domino Records), as well clients such as Tamara Malas, Print All Over Me, Baby’s All Right, and Spectacle Theater. A RISD grad, her art blends fashion and design in a colorful, controlled-chaos aesthetic that is utterly her own.
Slow Ghost: How do you self- identify? Is it more as an illustrator, sculptor, or designer?
Joanna Fields: That’s a question I have a hard time answering. The most accurate description would be a multidisciplinary artist because I have a facet of my practice that’s more fine art, and I make large-scale drawings I show in galleries. However, I also make different clothing and accessories that I sell either through my Instagram or at markets.
You have been doing art for your entire life. You went to RISD specifically for Textile Design. How has that impacted the work you do now?
I’ve always wanted to do something adjacent to the fashion industry. As a teenager, I was excited when I found out textile design was an option. I enjoyed printmaking and sewing, and obviously, drawing. Textile design seemed like a natural next step for me, and I’m grateful that’s what I decided to pursue. After graduating in 2008 into the recession, my professional career took a few zigs and zags. But even though I don’t do textile design professionally, it still informs much of my work.
Gliss Riffer logo, illustration by Joanna Fields
You’re based in New York, but have lived in Providence and Baltimore, where (I imagine) you met many of your collaborators. I’m thinking in particular of Dan Deacon and the album art you designed for Gliss Riffer. How have music and the DIY scene influenced you?
I actually met Dan in my freshman year of college. He was playing a show at RISD. I have an older half-brother, a full-time touring musician, and I grew up with bands staying at my parents’ house all the time and thinking, “That’s what you do when you meet people who play music” — you offer them a place to stay. Because maybe they don’t have one or can’t afford one. So I ended up meeting Dan and many of his friends just by saying, “Hey, do you want to stay in our cool on-campus housing?” Even though it was uncomfortable, we were all young and scrappy and made it work.
Living in Providence, there was such a vibrant music scene. I felt like visual art and music were so deeply connected, and many bands I would see, Lightning Bolt or Black Dice etc, had all gone to RISD. So, the aesthetic was a massive part of what they did. And it informed how I thought music was supposed to be presented. When I got the opportunity to do an album cover for Dan, that was exciting. It was something I had always wanted to do. It’s cool because I still see people online who get tattoos of the image I made for Dan. Someone even made a cake decoration of that image I had made all these years ago! It’s impressive to see that it still resonates and inspires people to do something creative themselves. I had no idea it would have that kind of an impact at the time.
Raymond Pettibon said something similar when we chatted in 2020 about the extended life of the Black Flag logo. You’re very much a working artist who is constantly engaging in collaborations. How do those take shape?
Throughout my career, Instagram has been such a huge tool for networking and connecting with different artists. It’s how I’ve been approached to participate in gallery shows or asked to collaborate on designs. Recently, I collaborated with a fashion designer, Tamara Malas. Obviously, Instagram is not what it once was for a lot of artists. It’s constantly changing and burying content. But up until now, it’s been the main way of connecting. It’s also how people find out about my work. I connected with Julie Klausner and Sarah Squirm through Instagram before I met either of them in person.
Tamara Malas x Joanna Fields
Where else can people find your work?
I currently have work at Berriez in Brooklyn and Vacation in San Francisco. I’m also coming to Pretty Snake in Providence. Throughout my years of making things, I’ve also had stock at Judi Rosen and Desert Island Comics. A lot of this is very Brooklyn or New York-specific. But I like working with different store owners locally who support art communities and showcase the work of different local artisans. That feels the most meaningful to me.
Joanna Fields for Shop Berriez, shot on location in Fields’ apartment.
Throughout the years, your art has stayed so bright and colorful. Now you’re doing more stuff with miniatures. But I have to ask, why clowns?
That one’s confusing even to me because it’s not like I ever really loved clowns as a child. And many of my childhood interests carry over into my adult life and my work. Clowns are just the perfect combination of psychedelia, fashion, and color. I loved the big shoes; I loved the ruffles, all the bright patterns. So, it was something that I felt drawn towards naturally. Even though much of what I make is colorful and cute, there is a sinister edge to it. People have strong feelings about clowns, which I like to lean into instead of shy away.
@crackerstime
You’ve also moved into working with collage and miniatures – your phone cases are like little-found art masterpieces. How did you start working on these?
I started a miniature collection when I was three or four. I was always obsessed with tiny things. I loved Polly Pockets. I had just tons of little porcelain and crystal miniatures. As a kid, I loved to do tiny drawings. I loved Where’s Waldo and wanted to mimic that aesthetic with all of the tiny figures jammed on a page together.
I found that the older I get and the more my work progresses, the more I can honor my inner child, and what initially brought me happiness, the more satisfied I feel as an adult. So, going back and incorporating new and vintage miniatures into my work feels very organic and natural. I still love playing with tiny toys.
@crackerstime
Alternative film and cinema have also had a significant influence on your work.
Definitely. I love directors like John Waters and Gregg Araki. John Waters has a quote “To understand bad taste one must have very good taste” and I take that very seriously. Combining the highbrow and the lowbrow is essential to my life and work.
A lot of people reading this are working artists or have day jobs. What would be your dream balance?
My dream balance is not to have a day job but to be able to focus more of my time on my practice. That’s something a lot of people can relate to. Since I have a 40-hour-a-week job in design production, I can only really use a small part of my creative brain when I'm not at work. I often fantasize about what my life would look like if I could use my full brain full-time — so I’m just holding onto hope that maybe that’s something that could happen. And that I could use my creative powers to bring myself some financial stability. That would be nice.
Tamara Malas x Joanna Fields
You lived in a railroad apartment in Greenpoint for years and have since moved to a larger space that has allowed for a workshop. How has having more physical room changed your sensibility?
A big part of my creative practice is collecting and combining the different things in new and fun ways. Living in a space that is also my creative space allows me to be creative throughout the house. I’m lucky to have a very tolerant husband who lets me do whatever I want with the place. But what ultimately informs what I make is having the space to decorate, be creative, and live amongst the chaos that is my life.
Joanna Fields for Shop Berriez
Speaking of collecting, you are an avid estate sale shopper. How did you get into it?
My friend Abby Ruby introduced me to estate sales. I grew up in the golden age of thrift shopping when my mom could send me away with $10, and I could get three trash bags full of amazing vintage clothes. And that was very satisfying. But obviously, things are not that way anymore. Estate sales scratch that itch. We use estatesales.net, which has all the estate sales listings you need in one place. Since I live so far out in Queens, I can easily get to Long Island, so that's become where I love to go for sales.
Pocket Object by Joanna Fields
How do you know when you found something you could use in your work?
I get an adrenaline rush. It's just this very visceral reaction where I know that I see something that I love and have to have it. I don't think anyone else could ever pick something out for me. I have to experience it. And then, oftentimes, the things I desire the most are luckily not the things vintage resellers are necessarily trying to get. A part of shopping, especially in the New York area, is trying to compete with all the resellers.
People keep saying that New York is no longer a place for creators because it’s too expensive. But you have made it home and are still a practicing artist. How do you feel about the city and is there any other place you'd rather live?
I absolutely would never want to live anywhere else. I’m a New York supremacist. If you can make it work, it is the best, especially if you’re an artist. The amount of art we have access to is unparalleled. As someone who loves movies, I find the number of repertory cinemas in New York overwhelming and amazing. It’s still an extremely exciting place. It just takes a lot of work to maintain a life here. Because of the expense, I have to have a job that takes time from my creative practice to afford to live here. But ultimately, it is completely worth it because New York is the best.
@crackerstime
What is your favorite neighborhood?
One of my all-time favorites is Flushing in Queens. It's not far from where I live, but as someone who loves to collect unconventional kitschy objects, it’s a gold mine. I’ve taken so much inspiration, especially for the clothes I make, from the clothes I see in Flushing, which are often mashups of different phrases and cartoon characters. And the food is the best. And it doesn’t feel like anywhere else in New York. It feels like you’re going on a vacation while still in Queens. That is my favorite place for fun, inspiration, and delicious snacks.
Image courtesy of Joanna Fields
What would be a dream collaboration for you?
Honestly, if someone’s opening a bar, cafe, or restaurant and they need a decorator, I would love to do an interior space. That’s my ultimate fantasy of combining my love of objects, kitsch, pattern, and texture. So, if someone out there is reading this and they're opening a business and they want it to look totally wacky, that is something that I would absolutely love to do.
You can follow Joanna’s work at @crackerstime, and pick up her designs at Berriez, Tamara Malas, and Vacation SF.
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