The Form, the Figure, The Color
Large format paintings in oil and acrylic on wood panel, canvas, and paper displaying a blend of classic style and modern narrative through expansive, expressive figurative creations. Following is a selection of works from over eighty paintings done during a 5 year period.
Woman in Park (from Bocci)
24 x 36 Acrylic on canvas
Gallery
36 x 48 Acrylic on wood panel
.jpeg)
Moi?
The pose, a brief moment when you are noticed. Friends recognize you and you fein surprise, or happiness, or maybe you contemplate fleeing. It's all hidden within the pose.
Tres Mujeres Tehuana
48 x 48 Oil on canvas
Frida and her coterie in the fashion she loved most. The two sisters dutifully modeling the ensembles while Frida looks away in disinterest having been subjected to this so many times before.
Some Days are Better Than Others
36 x 48 Acrylic on wood panel
A long days work. Physical, a good tired. The results are noticed by those who matter. No waiting for approval, or reward. Good tired, a job well done, a cold beer, and a hammock is reward enough.
Old Blue in El Triunfo
48 x 48 Oil on canvas
My old blue 51 Ford truck. A relic from the past.
El Triunfo in Baja Sur, a former mining town that's seen better days.
Both still running but never officially introduced until now.
Bailendo Con Los Muertos
The dance with the dead. Colorful, sorrowful, magical, festive.
Two worlds separated by time and joined by love.
48 x 72 Acrylic on Wood Panel
Lunch at the Balboa
The lunchtime crowd on Fillmore at Greenwich in the City. The best BLT's and Aperol Spritz' west of the Rockies. What more can I say?
36 x 36 Oil on canvas
36 x 48 Acrylic on wood panel
La Jimadora
She works in the Maguey fields just south of Oaxaca City near Ocotlan de Morelos.
A hoe, a gingham apron, a frayed hat, and a frilly blouse. A woman to be feared and respected. Her strength is her beauty and her beauty her strength.
"Your body is not a temple, It's an amusement park, enjoy the ride"
A. Bourdain
An icon, a legend, an addict, a celebrity, and a deeply flawed, very complicated, and extremely interesting example of life being lived to the greatest extent possible.
One of my favorite images, ever!
Enjoy CB.
36 x 48 Acrylic on wood panel
Senora Itzal Contemplating Magic in a Field of Iris
24 x 48 Acrylic on wood panel
The old Mayan woman waiting for her bus. She studies her belongings, and contemplates the world around her which is filled with magic, wonderment and beauty.
Fish Market in Versaille
36 x 48 Acrylic on wood panel
There's more to Versaille than a big, dusty, ancient warehouse of chandeliers, guilded chairs, and monuments celebrating the sad, incestuous lives of it's former tenants. There's a town. People working, living, purposefully, joyfully.
Madame Bijouterie
18 x 24 Oil and Acrylic on Paper
A middle-aged woman of means. She exudes confidence with a slight indifference as her French shrug would indicate. She wouldn't think of leaving the house without being fully adorned with whatever baubles and trinkets she finds laying around.
Old Dodge Pickup in Oaxaca City
16 x 18 Oil on canvas
An old Power Wagon, beat up, jacked-up, cow catcher up front, and more mirrors than a beauty parlor. "Who owns this POS? I love it! I want to buy it, or better yet, buy the guy that owns it a drink. A round of Mezcal por favor".
Strawberry Pickers
24 x 48 Acrylic on wood panel
Stooped over. Eight hours. In the mud, the damp fog, the heat, the poison sprayed on the fields.
Where did they go?
.jpeg)
Saturday Night
18 x 24 Oil on paper
She put on a green tutu and a furry vest because tonight, ordinary feels like surrender. Red heels stand at attention on the hardwood floor. She steps into them carefully, like entering a quiet room. The mirror frowns. Too much? Too loud? Too ridiculous? She twirls anyway. The tulle catches the street light. A small rebellion against sensible shoes, sensible lives. She wonders if they'll laugh. She wonders if they'll stare. She wonders if courage is just vanity that kept walking. Outside, Saturday night is calling. She opens the door, the red heels strike the sidewalk. The tutu sways. The city doesn't laugh. It simply makes room for another soul dressed exactly the way she dreamed herself.
The Artist
JR Johnson Art is defined by a profound commitment to the form, figure, and the scale of its expression. With a background rooted in classical art training, engineering, architecture and a modern sensibility, Johnson's work explores the intersection of physical presence and emotional resonance. His large-format figurative paintings are executed with a story-teller's intent, blending the vibrant colors of the Fauvists and Mexican muralists, and magical realism influences with a contemporary narrative that invites the viewer into a space of contemplative beauty and artisanal craftsmanship.
