STEVE JOHNSON @ RBPMW

Artist Steve Johnson was at RBPMW last week working on an exciting new suite of lithographs! Johnson works primarily in gray scale utilizing the warm and cool tones of canvas, graphite, gesso, and paint. His work explores the concept of the mock-heroic and the absurdity of everyday life; his graphic sensibility and strong marks take these themes to a monumental scale, reminiscent of painters such as Rubens and Turner. Johnson personifies emotional conflicts in the form of birds, rabbits, and horses. His current body of work is in preparation for his 2011 solo exhibitions at Blacburn 20|20 and the College of Charleston.

Steve Johnson was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, a beautiful yet formidable desert landscape; his childhood memories consist mostly of being extremely hot and playing with the lawn hose to cool off. Johnson moved to San Francisco in 1996 where he lived for almost ten years. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in printmaking and painting in 2003 and received an M.F.A. in painting and drawing from Arizona State University in 2008. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Drawing at the College of Charleston.