Artist Statement  

I believe that creativity is an inherently transformative experience. In my painting, an intuitive approach to color and composition directs the work. This process enables an element of surprise and spontaneity. Water-soluble oils, watercolor, and to a lesser degree acrylic and pastel are mediums I tend to gravitate to, because they provide immediate interaction, allowing me to use my hands to create.
 
My painting series, Sensing Some Treasure in Loss, focused on different stages of recognition and discovery after an initial loss. The series was informed by previous work about heightened awareness, a moment when you sense you are being guided by something both within and beyond yourself. A veil is lifted away, gaining greater clarity of a situation. The works in this series focus on stages of perseverance, courage, perception, restriction, and worth. Time Spent at the Mardi Gras continues this exploration, with themes of the opposite natures within ourselves, the masks we hide behind and the roles others put upon us. They also touch upon acceptance and transcendence that awareness brings.
Small Wonders, Big Ideas explored the themes of the seeker (expansion, awareness, allowance) in a relatively small scale. The current work is merging realism with abstraction. I had been painting small watercolors of animals in abstract settings. The inspiration was from totem animals, exploring the feelings of disconnect. There is the displacement of animals from their familiar homelands, and disconnect of humans from within themselves and nature. I’ve just begun painting larger versions in oil, so I’ll see where it leads.

 

 

Phone: (609)371-2027

Email: ajohnston2547@yahoo.com