Johanna Ost: Rising European Artist and Vintage Flickr Star

On a whim, I did a random search of the word "retro" on Yahoo's Picture Program, Flickr. I browsed a few pages of crappy, blase pictures of American girls dressing what they called "retro" and posing in the typical Facebook fashion. But then, behold! Johanna's Photostream caught my eyes' attention in one glimmering second of 1950's utopia. What a fabulous discovery! I thought to myself, who is this woman with an uncanny Old Hollywood glamour? This woman with a vintage style so unique and truly nostalgic? Immediately I was smitten by Johanna's style and grace. I had to learn more about her!

I began following Johanna's photostream on Flickr, though I am not even what you would call a "daily" user of the program. I couldn't stop myself from browsing through her many collections of photo sets, including her home's retro decor, a collection of My Little Ponies, and many pin-up style candids of Johanna herself. I was addicted to her style...a style that I have desperately desired to emulate my entire life. Her beauty, boldness, and confidence was immediately refreshing to me, in a world of modern-day women, insecurely donning fake body parts and unflattering yet provocative ensembles. Johanna's anecdote to society's pressure for women to look or act a certain way is to be yourself and do what you love. She is the epitome of vintage glamour and timeless femininity.

Johanna Ost is 27 years old and lives in a retro 50's style apartment in Vallentuna, Sweden. And yes, Miss Johanna herself decorated her apartment in the fabulous vintage, mid-century style that it now exhudes. Check out her flickr photostream to see some of her inspiring decor ideas at http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanni/. Johanna also writes (shocker again, I know) and has a very popularly followed blog, which you can also follow at http://blog.johannaost.com/. She enjoys writing about her daily life and what vintage finds she discovers and sometimes sells in her etsy store.

Not only does this girl collect beautiful pieces of vintage clothing and antiques to fill up her Swedish apartment, she is also an extremely talented artist! HUSH UP! No...it's true! I mean, how could one expect a lovely and brilliant girl such as Johanna Ost to only have one talent? It's absurd! This woman just keeps surprising and amazing me. I just recently learned that Johanna has her own an enchanting and edgy art website, filled-to-the-brim with a cornucopia of waiting-to-be-discovered masterpieces...and here's the best part, you can purchase some of the originals or prints.

Johanna's inventive and masterly art can be browsed and purchased at www.johannaost.com. But be warned! One may just fall head over heels for every piece on display. My experience was such, that the moment I laid eyes on Johanna's artwork, I almost fainted. An overwhelming sense of joy and whimsy grasped at my mind and heart...her artwork spoke to me in ways art has never done before. I know this sounds dramatic, but it is 100% truth! Johanna's artwork has made me find a passion for art that I never knew existed. Johanna is interested in and inspired by many things (many of which also inspire my writing) including: mermaids, pin-up, old Hollywood glamour, tattoos, princesses, cats, folklore and fairy tales, romance, pirates, and the list goes on.

Johanna's pin-up and pulp fiction pieces pushed me back to my late teen years and forced me to reminisce of my gothic days...days when I was very much obsessed with the "notorious" Miss Bettie Page and old horror flicks, such as Creature from the Black Lagoon or Macabre (starring the illustrious Ellen Corby). The popping images of sexy alien women with stun guns and circus ring-master pin-ups seemed to take on a life of their own. Was Johanna really born in the 1980's? Yes, but she seems to have been transported here from another decade altogether!

There is a whole wonderful collection of black and white, pen rendered drawings for a children's storybook titled Carmen Carlsson. Shocking that this woman can hold a pen in her hand and create a picture so moving...so sentimental and enchanting. This style of artwork is on a different end of the spectrum from Johanna's pin-up and pulp fiction pieces, yet it still gently whispers that "Johanna's been here". Don't quote me on this, but I believe these are the pieces that will leave Johanna's mark on the world of art. That is my prediction. I think I may have to snatch a print of one of these shortly, before people really begin realizing how amazing these pieces are and they sell out!  I may even keep it safe somewhere and when my daughter is a bit older, frame it and give it to her as a present.  I can see these prints being displayed on a little girl's bedroom wall, and they are even perfect for a teenager, too.

Another of Johanna's passions is history, more specifically eighteenth century history and this passion is also used as a muse for much of Johanna's pieces. "Wood Sorrel" and "Beauty and the Beast", displayed to the right, demonstrate her eighteenth century inspirations. Once again, this style of artwork is different from her penned Carmen Carllson collection and also from her pin-up, pulp fiction pieces, but these romantic, eighteenth century masterpieces are profoundly brilliant in their own rite. I look at these pieces and I feel like I am sucked back into a world of corsets and powdered wigs...a place where fairy tales come to life...a time when chivalry was bountiful and women were truly ladies. Growing up, "Beauty and the Beast" was my favorite fairy tale and also my favorite Disney movie, so when I discovered Johanna's eighteenth century version of the tale...I felt an immediate connection to the piece. I am an avid lover of fairy tales and folklore, and Johanna and I seem to share this same interest.

No matter the style of artwork or medium used, Johanna stamps each piece with her unique sense of what is beautiful and each piece is illuminated with Johanna's unscathed artistic ability. I can only dream to have one single talent that is as special and bright as Johanna's many talents. Obviously her artwork is one of the many that she possesses...next to her intelligent writing skills and keen sense of old-world glamour. One can also catch a glimpse of Johanna's baking skills, as portrayed by the scrumptious and aesthetically-pleasing Valentine cupcakes, posted on her blog this past February. One thing is for certain...Johanna's boyfriend should consider himself one lucky dude!