Some paintings emerge slowly and subtly from within a vortex of ideas and emotions swirling in the artist’s head. For Geoffrey Johnson, whose subjects are major cities, sometimes his next painting smacks him in the face. No subtlety needed.
Hunt V, oil on board, 30 x 40 in.
“Those are the best moments," he says. "For example, one particular cold and rainy day in NYC the reflections in the rainwater and the lights from the buildings, Grand Central in particular, were like no other day. It was an instant ‘this is a painting.’ But more commonly and perhaps more laboriously, the paintings just come from the general mood of a city, and also a conglomerate from scenes in my head, and memories, mixed with photographs.”
Landmark I, oil on board, 44 x 34 in.
Johnson’s newest city scenes, as well as a handful of paintings from rural settings, will be part of a new solo show opening May 15 at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia. “Over the years, I’ve found my work is best if I just paint what I’m inspired to paint at that time; there is never a theme and it can be unpredictable. This is why I do not do commissions—paintings never turn out well if I’m given instructions, “ he says. “I have artist friends that work best that way; but I just do not. I do not know why. So, the show will be a mix of urban landscapes, interiors and maybe some surprises. Lately I’ve been inspired to paint rodeos, hunt scenes and California. We will see what happens.”
Untitled 175, oil on board, 36 x 24 in.
His paintings have many distinguishing characteristics, including his monotone-like palette, the loose brushwork that defines the architecture and silhouetted figures that appear fuzzy and somewhat abstract, as if the viewer is seeing the world distorted through a rain-spattered window. Another quality of his work is his vertical paintings, which he uses more than most cityscape painters.
“I always try to have a mix of formats in shows. But the city itself is vertical, especially NYC. The vertical format usually captures the feel of NYC and some others more than other formats,” he says. “The perspectives and vanishing points in NYC lend themselves to this format. Unless you are in an open space, near Central Park for example, most NYC views are just vertical. Plus, my wife told me once that I had not really seen NYC if I had not practiced looking up! Paris, on the other hand, often works well in the horizontal format due to the Seine [River]. So, I guess the format depends on the city, and the subject matter. I do not have a favorite format and I’m always experimenting.”
Silver City with Dog, oil on board, 24 x 18 in.
He continues, “I hope my work is constantly changing, because the worst thing to me would be to become boring or repetitive. My process changes with the painting style, depending on if there is more realism or abstraction,” he says. “For example, sometimes things are really loose and other times not. So, the ‘sweet spot’ in the process varies from painting to painting and I’m always in search of a new one. The only thing that has really changed over the last five or 10 years is the subject matter, not the process. NYC is a constant, but California is a new one, for example.”
His new show runs through June 8. —
Principle Gallery 208 King Street • Alexandria, VA 22314 • (703) 739-9326 • www.principlegallery.com
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