ALAN JOHNSON

When making art I always start by meandering down a formalist path of line, shape, form, color and texture . After that it's a crap shoot. Problem solving with the basic elements of art is the initial nudge, but pushing the journey forward is tricky, full of eureka moments and a good dose of dead ends. In an attempt to cobble together a coherent body of work, the path may meander again, below the surface, into narratives and memories that eventually resurface as the destination. Hopefully the emerging images will hold together as a cohesive mix bound by threads of color, texture and form. Life is temporal, God is eternal and a meandering path can be good for the soul.

All of my work is a mix of personal metaphors, memories and references to landscape and the human figure. The pieces are glazed, multi-fired ceramic forms using a combination of wheel thrown and handbuilt techniques fired in an electric kiln. The Casa de Flores pieces are simple metaphors for home and the complexity of what that is. The Flor Fina Series derives its name from an ornate label on a cigar box. These somewhat cigar shaped figures and dwellings, wrapped in plant-like textures, are as much reflective musings as they are visual responses to the natural world of color, form and texture.