A Closer Look at Dion Johnson

END OF SUMMER

Erika b Hess | Daina Higgins | Dion Johnson | Jignesh Panchal | Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski

Dion Johnson is featured in the End of Summer group show on view now until October 30th. 

Johnson is an LA based abstract painter who focuses on color, line and shape. He deeply identifies with the Southern California landscape and is environmentally influenced. In this series, Johnson created an intense sense of movement with color veils that transition into a vivid glow that immediately confronts the viewer.

“The paintings of Dion Johnson are informed by his experiences of light and space in nature; whether riding his bike through the Santa Monica mountains and cresting a hill to see the horizon line of the blue Pacific, or trekking in Nepal, Patagonia or Iceland, these experiences of space and light, of the curvature of the earth and the natural arc of the arm drawing a line in space, all find their way into his elegantly resolved abstractions” -Gary Brewer

Firecracker, 2018, Intersect, 2019 and Tomorrow, 2019 each tell their own story through a blending of hues, sensation and hard edges.

Firecracker, 2018 confronts the viewer with an apparent radiance that surrounds a classic American holiday. There is no denying the soft shades of red blending together right at sunset under the Southern California skies. The bursts of other colors surround and transition into the curvature of the hard edge lines that leave the viewer with a sense of longing for those celebratory booms of American culture.

Intersect, 2019 is a study of movement, time and space. The softness and blending of bright colors come together for a quiet moment amidst the strong movement of sharp lines in this painting. Johnson depicts the intersection of landscape and architecture in this work.

Tomorrow, 2019 gives a peaceful glimpse into what everyone hopes for, a better tomorrow. Johnson uses darker colors to depict the landscape of the night sky and all the colors that come out before, during and after a beautiful sunset. The veils of purple steer the eye away from the color-filled lines and transition into the night sky.

Dion Johnson in his Los Angeles studio.

Originally from Bellaire Ohio, Johnson got his BA in Fine Arts from The Ohio State University in 1997 and his MFA from Claremont Graduate University in 2000. His work has been widely exhibited and collected nationally. He has works in public art collections such as the Columbus Museum of Art, the Progressive Corporate Collection the Pizzuti Collection, and many more. Johnson has been reviewed and featured in the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Art Forum and Art News. He currently lives and works in Los Angels, California.