Alicia Staley Johnson
AQ is our series of hardcover catalogs celebrating extraordinary women artists. Available on Amazon. Visit the AQ Catalog Webpage to learn more.
Alicia Staley Johnson, featured in AQ Volume VI, is an award-winning photographer whose work explores the beauty found in stillness, imperfection, and the quiet details of everyday life. Inspired by the Dutch Masters and the timelessness of classical still life painting, her imagery is marked by dramatic light, rich textures, and a reverence for floral and still life subjects. Each photograph is both an offering and an invitation: to pause, to feel, to notice.
Alicia creates her work in a French-inspired studio located on her property, using elements grown in her gardens and heirlooms passed down through generations. These personal touches allow her photographs to remain deeply intimate and grounded in a strong sense of place.
Based in the Midwest just outside of Chicago, Alicia has spent over 30 years as a professional photographer, building a successful portrait studio while simultaneously developing a body of fine art that reflects her passion for beauty, storytelling, and intentional living. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including the upcoming 2025 London Biennale, upcoming Art3f Barcelona International Art Expo, and Art Nou 277 Gallery in Barcelona, and is included in private collections across the U.S. and Europe. She is currently expanding her creative practice through exhibitions, workshops, and a forthcoming art and lifestyle book.
Alicia has been featured in numerous publications and television segments, including: Chicago Tribune, CBS World News, CBS Morning News, CBS Chicago News, Chicago Today Show and the Cover of Parents Magazine France
aliciasfineart.com
What inspired you to become an artist, and how did you decide to commit to this path?
I’ve always been drawn to the quiet beauty in everyday life—the way light dances across a table or how a fading flower can still feel full of grace. Photography became my way of capturing those moments, and over time, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Could you share the story or concept behind your recent work?
My recent work is a love letter to memory and time—composed of blooms from my garden and artifacts passed down through generations. Each image is a still breath, holding space for beauty, fragility, and presence.
What role does experimentation and exploration play in your artistic practice?
Experimentation is the soul of my process. Whether through shifting light, unexpected textures, or the movement of a single petal, I let the image unfold like a poem—line by line, layer by layer.
What message do you hope your art conveys to the world?
That there is wonder in the everyday, and meaning tucked into the smallest of details. I hope my work invites people to slow down, look closer, and remember that beauty is everywhere—if we’re willing to see with a slower heart.
Share a mantra or favorite quote that keeps you going.
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” – Rumi. This has always guided both my art and my life.
