Artist Julienne Johnson once again steps into the limelight on March 3rd. Constantly moving forward, Johnson continues an exploration of communication and connectivity through her mixed media paintings on exhibit at LA Artcore Gallery in Lincoln Heights.
Johnson has been engaged professionally in a variety of other creative disciplines, most notably music. Despite her success, the Grammy nominated songwriter's most profound connection and direct form of communication is with the visual arts.
Johnson paints deep, through rich fields of color, from the subtle and misty to the intense and turbulent. Her paintings are heavily layered with words and objects, embedding such
communications within numerous layers of oil glazes, as she reaches out in a multitude of languages including Chinese, Korean, Arabic, and Russian.
At times, the words speak and connect with us powerfully; at other times, we feel unable to decipher what is being said. It is exactly this sense of connection or lack thereof that Johnson seeks to embody in these works - reflecting our world of technological connectivity: a world that brings us instantly closer - yet distances us from those physically and emotionally closest to us. Johnson's work is direct yet subtle in its delivery... resonant and beautiful with its rich luminescent colors.
Unlike most artists, Johnson paints with her hands, even with oils. She adds, “I travel from one shape, color, and application to another in the same way a poem travels from one word and idea to another."
As a closing reception, Julienne Johnson has coordinated a special evening: SPOKEN WORD & PAINT, a poetry reading on Friday, March 29th, featuring two illustrious writers who share a love for the Spoken Word: Jack Grapes (award winning poet, playwright, actor, teacher) and Peter Frank (art critic, international curator, lecturer, teacher). Grapes was Johnson's poetry teacher and Frank edited her book Ashes for Beauty, released in July 2012.
Johnson is looking forward to the event, which falls on Good Friday, between Passover and Easter. "The big challenge," she explains, "was in coordinating Jack and Peter's schedules. Jack is in non-stop, constant demand for readings, writer workshops, and he also has acting and book projects. Peter has been literally flying non-stop in and out of the U.S. with curatorial projects, university lectures, and his critical writing responsibilities. Still, I had a dream that I was holding tight. I wanted to hear the shapes of their words against the shimmer of my paintings."
Opening reception: Sunday, March 3, 1-3pm (RSVP)
Closing reception: SPOKEN Word & Paint, Friday, March 29th, 7:30 p.m. (RSVP)
Location: LA Artcore – Brewery Annex, 650 A. South Avenue 21, LA 90031.
Be sure to RSVP: julienneART@me.com.
Signed copies of the Limited Edition book: Ashes for Beauty, edited by Peter Frank, will be available. 12" x 12" hard cover $150, 8" x 8" soft cover $30.
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