Joanna McPherson

1973 East Anglia, UK

🧐 Note on Name Nuance

Joanna previously used her "Gō (豪)" name Joanna Nakamura.

About👤

Joanna (who works under Blue Bear Vending Co) is a mixed-media British artist based in East Anglia, UK, she is deeply inspired by her travels to Japan, particularly the country’s folklore, micro-seasons, urban architecture, and the harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary aesthetics. Though initially trained in architecture, she began creating art later in life, driven by a desire to share aspects of Japanese culture that were underrepresented in English-language media. Her early artistic expression took the form of fictional blog stories exploring yōkai, seasonal folklore, and the rhythm of the Japanese calendar. As more information became available, especially from Japanese sources, those stories naturally phased out, but her devotion to following the 72 micro-seasons continues in her work and social media documented into 2025.

Her artistic practice has evolved from painted and collaged paper works to include ceramics and wood art. Central to her output are the whimsical “wood girls”, inspired by the Japanese folk tradition of Kokeshi, Tudor stump dolls, and contemporary peg-style figures. Joanna collaborates with an English woodturner to craft her unique shapes, which she then hand-paints, often layering them with motifs tied to micro-seasons, zodiac years, food culture, moon and star gazing, architecture, vending machines, and more.

Vending machines hold a special nostalgic place in Joanna’s life, her childhood fascination with these everyday objects became a recurring theme in her work, both as homage to Japanese urban life and as visual metaphor in her mixed-media storytelling.

Recently, Joanna has begun exploring kinetic elements in her art. Since 2024, she’s been experimenting with gently moving objects that add motion and dimensionality to her wood girl figures, signaling a playful new chapter in her studio practice.

Awards🏅

N/A

Other📑

Sources

Molina, M. (2018). Kokeshi Trends Journal (J. Holmgren, Ed.), 3(3).
McPherson, J. (2025). The Blue Bear Vending Company. The Blue Bear Vending Company. https://www.bluebearvending.com/